Mind Games
by Obsidian3
Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

It was so... quiet.

5-year-old Anna was quickly finding that she couldn't _stand _the silence. It was only the first night after Elsa had moved out, and it was already too much for her to bear. How long was she going to be expected to endure this? When she'd asked how long Elsa would be gone, Mama and Papa had uncomfortably danced around answering, to the point where even Anna had realized that she wasn't going to BE coming back.

There had been one or two half-hearted efforts to make this seem like a good thing. She didn't care that she'd be getting her own room, now, like a big girl. She didn't care that she now had twice as much room to store her toys and games. What good were those, when you had to play them alone?

Papa had finally declared the matter closed by proclaiming that, seeing as how Elsa would be Queen one day, she needed her own room to be able to study and practice. (Practice what, he hadn't said.)

Anna, for her part, had heard, "Your sister doesn't need you, anymore. She has an important future to prepare for, and you'd do nothing but get in her way."

She'd barely been able to eat her lunch that afternoon, knowing it was true. That Elsa hadn't shown up didn't help matters any. She'd spent most of the rest of the day wandering around in a daze. Elsa _had _come to dinner, but she'd sat as far away from Anna as she could get away with, and had refused to speak to her or even look at her, if she could possibly avoid it.

She must have done something wrong, but she had no idea what. What could she possibly have done to cause her loving, sweet, perfect sister to shut her out like that?

Well... Maybe she was just out of sorts from being made to move into her own room? Yes, that made sense, Anna decided. She'd give Elsa a little time to adjust - maybe even a whole day! - and then try again.

After all, it was Elsa. Of _course _she'd want to play!

* * *

"Go away, Anna!"

"Okay, bye..."

She'd been making excuses for Elsa's behavior for almost three weeks, now, and she was running out. The only thing she kept coming back to was the (misheard) declaration that she was nothing but a bother to her queen-to-be sister, now. She trudged back to her room, wondering what to do. She was too young to have lessons, and there were only so many games she could play by herself. She didn't know how to read, yet, and there wasn't anyone around who could read to her.

She hadn't noticed it at first, being too preoccupied with all matters Elsa-related, but she'd slowly begun realizing that the castle was becoming _much _more empty than it used to be. The most explanation she'd been able to get was that the missing staff had been "let go", but no one would tell her why. As a result, there were precious few servants around, and those that remained were far too busy taking up the slack from their missing colleagues to have time to play with the young princess... though playing with adults wasn't really what she wanted, either.

The gates were closed, now, too.

That, she _knew _was wrong. Aside from at night, maybe - she didn't get to stay up late enough to know for sure - the gates were _always _open. Or they had been, anyway. No one would tell her why _that _had changed, either, yelling at her if she pushed the subject.

Heading into the village to play with the children there, then, was entirely out of the question.

"I don't get it," she said with a pout as she shut the door to her room, dropping to the floor in the middle of the room and drawing her knees up under her chin. "What did I do wrong?"

_Oh, Anna... _a girl's voice sighed from nowhere. _You didn't do anything wrong._

Anna nearly fell over backward in shock. "Wh-?"

_Can you finally hear me? _the voice asked, becoming excited. _I've been trying to get your attention for __**weeks**__, now._

Anna shot to her feet, looking around her room, eyes wide with fright. Where was that voice _coming _from?

"Please don't be afraid," the voice - now more easily identifiable as coming from a young girl - said from near the foot of her bed. There hadn't been anyone standing there when she'd looked a second ago... but there was now. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

Anna stared.

The girl looked to be about her age, though a bit taller than she was, with curly, inky black hair, and eyes so dark they almost seemed to match. Her dress resembled Anna's own, only colored a dark gold rather than vibrant green. "Who...? Where...?"

"My name's Mara," she said shyly. "I'm here because you were wishing for a friend."

Anna clapped her hands, fear quickly changing to delight. She _had _been wishing that, but not out loud. "Why couldn't I see you?"

Mara smiled at her. "I'm invisible. Only _special _little girls can see me." That elicited a squeal of joy from Anna, who charged over to give her a hug. Mara's hug was stiff, but Anna was used to that from people who'd never been hug-attacked by a princess before, and she knew her new friend would get over that soon enough. The other girl felt warm, much warmer than Elsa... though, admittedly, a lot of people did.

Thinking about Elsa brought back the sting of her most recent rejection, but at least now she had something else to focus on. "You're magic?"

Mara's smile turned secretive. "Oh, Anna... The world is _full _of magic, if you know where to look for it."

Anna gasped in excitement. "Can we? Can we look?"

"Well... Maybe. First, though, perhaps a tour of the castle?"

That sounded just as good to her. "Okay!" she exclaimed, happy to share what she knew with her new friend.

* * *

The staff quickly became accustomed to the sight of the youngest princess happily wandering down the halls, carrying on a running conversation with absolutely no one.

The King and Queen, while initially troubled, played along with their daughter's games. Imaginary friends were hardly an uncommon thing for children her age, after all - Elsa had never had one because she'd already been spending most of her time with Anna when she was five - and given that they'd cut off all other options for friends, and Elsa refused to get anywhere near her sister until she'd managed to control her magic, they had no desire to return her to a state of boredom, loneliness, and misery.

Mara, as relayed by Anna, seemed to be a cheerful girl, generally willing to go along with whatever games Anna proposed... with some exceptions. She didn't like sneaking into the stables, objected when Anna tried to get into a swordfight with a wooden dummy in the guards' practice area (even though, as Anna was quick to point out, she was only armed with a stick), and put her foot down when Anna wanted to try climbing up onto the roof.

When they were alone, the King sometimes joked to his wife that Mara was Anna's long-dormant sense of self-preservation, finally given voice.

Despite offers by servants happy to play along if it meant seeing their princess smile, Anna never insisted a place be set for Mara at meals. Indeed, she initially had refused to speak of her then at all, as she hadn't wanted Elsa to feel she was being replaced. Even after everything, she hated the thought of hurting her sister's feelings.

As Elsa continued shutting herself away, though, her snubbing of her sister's attentions seemed to begin wearing Mara's patience - and temper - thin.

Neither of her parents were all that surprised. Dismayed, yes, but not surprised. Elsa, as far as Anna was concerned, was perfect. As such, Anna _couldn't _be angry with her. Having the feelings come from Mara instead made for a convenient method of venting. Exactly how healthy that was... Well, that was open for debate. Still, Anna was only a little girl.

She was bound to grow out of this phase eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

_**Ten Years Later**_

It was a strange experience, having both of her parents gone at the same time.

It wasn't the first time either the king or the queen had gone away for a time. The gates may have been closed, but that didn't mean Arendelle could cut itself off from the rest of the world completely. It wasn't all that uncommon for either her father or her mother to be away for a few days, even a week or two at a time. Anna didn't enjoy those times, especially - not that she really thought they would abandon her, but the irrational thought kept poking at her now and then until they returned - but she could handle it. She'd learned not to interrupt when one of her parents was handling Official Kingdom Business, but after that was taken care of, whichever of them was still at home would happily welcome her attention, if only to distract themselves from how much they missed their spouse.

But this...

She supposed Elsa, for all that she continued to avoid having anything to do with her sister, must come out of her room more often than she'd suspected, as no one had been approaching her regarding any official decisions. Granted, she was only fifteen, and this was exactly the kind of situation they had a Prime Minister _for_, but with Elsa being the Heir, she couldn't imagine that her sister wouldn't at least be consulted.

In the meantime, she was continuing with her lessons. Mathematics, geometry, etiquette, history, international relations, music, dance, several different languages... Anyone who thought that being a Princess was easy, with no hard work involved at all, deserved to be hit, in Anna's opinion.

On the head.

With the six-inch-thick copy of 'The Complete History of Arendelle' that was sitting on her desk, back in her bedroom.

Repeatedly.

At her request, Mara kept quiet during most of her lessons. It was hard enough for her to absorb such dry, boring facts without any distractions. (She did, on occasion, pipe up when she knew the answer to a question that Anna had forgotten.) Besides, she was fifteen, now, and it had been made clear to her that this meant she was too old for imaginary friends. (Correcting that Mara was _invisible _didn't seem to go over well.)

When she'd been twelve, her parents had sat her down and patiently explained that, while it was a normal phase that most children went through, it did have to stop, sooner or later. Mara, they told her apologetically, simply wasn't real.

Her reply of, "What's your point?" had just left them confused.

She knew there wasn't a real flesh-and-blood person named Mara running around the castle with her. Mara didn't eat anything, didn't get sick, was always awake whenever Anna herself was, and, these days, tended to be just a voice in her head, rather than the teenage girl that occasionally manifested whenever Anna _really _needed someone there with her.

That revelation, rather than reassuring her parents as she'd hoped, instead resulted in the first visitor to the castle that she knew of in over a decade: a doctor by the name of Johann Kurtz.

A clinical psychiatrist.

Rather than be happy that their daughter had someone - whether real or not - that could comfort her, play with her, and lessen the problems that came from not being allowed to make any friends her own age (or spend time with her sister), they worried that she was insane, that having Mara around meant something was _wrong _with her.

It was the first time she could remember experiencing real, definite, lasting _anger _at her parents.

She didn't know what he'd told them, but afterward he left, and nothing seemed to change. Nothing _ever _seemed to change. Her parents had been a bit more wary when asking about Mara, true, but aside from that, everything went on as it had before.

After that, she'd made a point of being careful not to talk to Mara where anyone could see her, or even mentioning her name. If they wanted to keep secrets from her, she'd reasoned, she'd keep a secret from them.

She was even careful not to mention Mara when she was talking to Elsa. Or to Elsa's door, rather. She so rarely encountered her sister in person, and Elsa so rarely replied when she tried to speak with her (aside from telling her to go away), that she'd begun associating the _door _with her sister more than anything else.

(This had lead, on one occasion, to a rather bizarre mental image of the door leaning against the throne, with a crown perched on one of the top corners, when she'd idly thought about what it would be like when Elsa eventually became Queen.)

She'd just finished her Spanish lesson for the day - and that was one subject she could happily say she was having no problems in - and sat down for lunch... alone. Really, it was a good thing she hadn't actually _expected _Elsa to start showing up at meals just because their parents were away. Still, it had only been a few days, and she was already tired of being the only one at the massive dinner table. When talking to Mara, she tended to keep her voice low, to avoid alerting Gerda, who was usually hovering somewhere nearby, waiting to take her dishes.

Not that she wouldn't have wanted to talk to Gerda herself, but... Well, it hadn't escaped her attention, over the years, that whatever the reasons that Elsa continually isolated herself were, the loyal servants that regularly interacted with her, such as Gerda and Kai, had to be in on it. Indeed, they deflected her inquiries almost as well as the King and Queen.

_I've told you before, you trust too easily._

"I know, I know..." she murmured under her breath as she ate a bite of chicken. She chewed and swallowed before adding, "I don't think I'm asking for much, am I?"

_Being open and honest isn't exactly something encouraged among royals, though, is it?_

"I suppose not." She sighed. "But that shouldn't extend to family. Not about something like this."

_Unless they agree with your tutors._

She flinched. Last week, she'd accidentally overheard a few of her instructors discussing her progress. They hadn't been overly impressed, especially in regard to Elsa's advancements. That Elsa was doing so well wasn't at all a surprise - especially with all the practicing she was supposedly doing - but she felt a measure of pride in her estranged sister, all the same. What had been a surprise - and a bad one, at that - was the term one of them had used in reference to her.

'The Spare.'

She'd hurried away before she was discovered - and before she started crying - Mara grumbling _very _unkind things about them the entire trip back to her room. It wasn't the first time she'd ever heard the words, but that didn't make it hurt any less, especially coming from people that she'd thought cared about her.

Admittedly, she'd left before she could tell if anyone had defended her or not.

_They're not important,_ Mara assured her. _We both know you're more than that, anyway._

"Thanks," Anna said softly, allowing herself a small smile. It quickly faded when Gerda cleared her throat behind her. Stifling a sigh, she turned in her seat. "What is it, G-" She broke off in surprise as she registered Gerda's appearance.

The woman was so pale she looked like she might pass out any second, and her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she'd been crying. "Princess, I... We have recieved news... from Corona."

She stopped breathing, a cold chill spreading throughout her body. She felt a hand grip hers underneath the table and squeezed back, not even caring what Gerda might have thought, if she saw it.

Her parents had gone to Corona for a wedding. Her Aunt and Uncle's long-lost daughter was marrying her longtime boyfriend, so of course they'd both had to go. She'd been invited along, but, despite wanting to meet her new (well, sort of new) cousin, Rapunzel, she'd stayed, not wanting to leave Elsa all alone.

(Whether Elsa appreciated this or not, she had no idea.)

"No..." she said by sheer reflex, feeling hollow.

"There was a storm. I'm afraid the ship was lost at sea. There were no survivors."

_Oh, Anna, I'm so sorry..._

"What... What do I...?" For the first time in her life, Anna was utterly at a loss for words. There was only one coherent thought in her mind. "...Elsa?"

_Oh, she won't be coming out of her room. You just watch._

"She... did not react well, Princess."

"But I need her!" Anna insisted, honestly not sure which of them she was replying to. She bolted out of her seat, dodging around a shocked Gerda, and raced for the stairs.

_You're wasting your time! _Mara sounded upset. _Ten years, now, she's been pretending you don't exist, rebuffing __**every**__ advance you've made. This is __**not**__ going to make a difference!_

"It has to!" Anna snapped back, skidding around the corner. "It just _has _to!"

_You don't __**need**__ her!_

"She's going to need _me_," Anna replied as she reached Elsa's door. In her haste, she screwed up her special knock, but didn't care. "Elsa? Elsa, it's me, Anna," she called.

Silence.

"Elsa, are you in there?" She wished there was some way to tell. The doorknob was locked, but she was fairly certain that Elsa locked it when she wasn't in there, too, if only to keep Anna from going in while she was gone and just waiting there for her. "Gerda just t-told me..." A pause. "Elsa, _please_..."

Silence.

Always, always silence.

To her credit, Mara didn't offer a single 'I told you so'.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

The funeral was a quiet, grim affair.

It was held shortly after dawn, traces of the morning fog still lingering in the air. Anna stood, alone, between the two large, carved stones meant to serve as a monument to her parents. (Their bodies, obviously, had not been recovered.) She couldn't focus enough to understand a single word the priest was saying, but it didn't matter. She had no speaking part in all of this, only needed to be there to be put on display for the crowd of mourners.

Never mind that she was still mourning herself. She was only the Spare; she wasn't allowed the luxury of having emotions.

That was the worst part - Elsa hadn't come. Her sister _should _have been standing next to her, not leaving her there by herself. Anna hadn't missed the whispered comments when she'd been the only one to stand between the two stones; even the priest was far off to the side, making room for a princess who had never shown up.

Anna just kept her head down, gaze locked on the ground as she _willed _the horrible day to just _end_, already. It had only gotten started, though; there was still a Council meeting later on, to discuss Arendelle's future. Officially, her presence wasn't required there... but she had a sneaking suspicion that Elsa wouldn't show up for _that_, either.

_Not the best introduction to their future Queen that Arendelle could have_, Mara observed.

Anna allowed a humorless, nearly silent laugh. "I'll say," she muttered under her breath. The priest didn't pause in the Bible verse he was reading, but she was pretty sure he noticed. She didn't care. Maybe she would later, but for today, she just did **not** care. Let them catch her talking to herself. Let them think her grief had driven her (if only temporarily) insane. They could start calling her 'the Mad Princess of Arendelle', for all she cared!

More than ever before, she **needed** Mara today.

_You've still got me, _Mara assured her. _But don't burn your bridges behind you. Arendelle needs at least one princess who isn't useless when it comes to public events._

Anna didn't even have the energy to argue about that less than flattering view of her sister.

* * *

To her utter lack of surprise, Elsa did not attend the Council meeting.

She'd been forced to field a few inquiries as to her sister's location as the funeral procession had broken up. The Council had been far more blatant about it.

The only answer she'd had to give was, "Grieving." It hadn't gone over well. Mister Nordberg (she completely blanked on his first name), the Minister of Finances, had scowled at her and demanded, "Then why are you here, Your Highness?"

"Would you like me to leave?" she countered, anger igniting and finally giving her some energy to reply to the muttered accusations she'd been overhearing all morning. "Because I could. But I don't think you'd be able to get much of anything done without at least one of us here, now, would you?"

Henrik Lunde, the Trade Minister, hastened to assure her, "Not at all, Princess. I'm sure Anders will be able to take care of the day-to-day matters until Princess Elsa feels up to joining us." He cast an inquisitive look at the Prime Minister, who nodded.

"Of course."

"In the meantime, if you would care to be caught up on current events, Highness...?" Because no one could really even pretend that she'd been kept in the loop on Matters of State, foreign or domestic. She was just the silly, clumsy, goofy, _useless _Spare, after all.

Or _generally _useless, anyway, because **now** they needed her.

Her heart sank, though she tried hard not to let it show. She really had no real desire to sit there and be bored to tears, or strain to process and remember the mountain of information they were about to hit her with. She had to, though. The entire _point _of having a Spare was to have someone in charge when the Queen-To-Be wasn't around.

"Let's get started."

* * *

It was every bit as bad as she'd feared it would be, and then some.

It was late afternoon by the time she walked out of the Council chambers with every last shred of dignity and grace that she could muster. Had this been any other day, she would no doubt have drawn a number of surprised looks from the few servants she passed on the walk back to the Royal living quarters, who were unaccustomed to seeing the youngest princess displaying either of those things.

Today, though, they likely assumed that, in her grief, she simply didn't have the energy to dash about with her usual reckless enthusiasm.

They weren't entirely wrong.

She slowed when she drew near to Elsa's door, all the whispered comments she'd overheard and accusations she'd fielded and information she'd been beaten over the head with all vying for attention in her brain, until finally allowed herself to vent her frustration, angrily slamming her fist against the wood. She thought she heard, ever-so-faintly, a startled motion against the door. The realization that Elsa might well be _right there_, that close to her and still offering no comfort, no reasons for her growing absence, infuriated her all the more. "_**Elsa! **_Open this door!"

"...wh-? Anna...?"

"Yes, Anna! Your sister! You DO remember that you have one, right?!"

"...Anna, that isn't fair."

It was about the worst possible thing Elsa could have said to her.

"Fair? **Fair?!** You want to talk to **me **about-!" She broke off, taking a deep breath. Then, in a frighteningly calm and cool voice, continued, "Do you have any idea what my day has been like, thus far? First, there was the funeral, which you did not attend with me. And everyone _noticed _that you weren't there. They've been asking me about that all morning."

"Anna, I'm-"

"After that," Anna interrupted, "came the Council meeting. They wanted to know where you were, too. But don't worry, I was the good little Spare and took care of all that for you. You're the only one who needs to do any grieving, I guess."

Silence.

Somehow, despite thinking that there really wasn't anything Elsa _could _say to that, it only made her angrier. Despite her best efforts, some of that began seeping into her voice. "So I now know more than anyone likely ever felt I needed to about how this Kingdom is run. But don't worry, Mara made sure I was paying attention." Whether she'd wanted to be or not.

"...Mara?" A puzzled silence. Before Anna could explode at the thought that Elsa had been paying that little attention to what she'd said to the door over the years, her sister continued, "Wait, are you-? I thought you outgrew that years ago."

Some part of Anna knew that Elsa was only latching onto that part of what she'd said because she wasn't ready to handle the rest of it, yet. Anna's invisible friend was something she could understand, could deal with. The rest of her, however, clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. "Mara's the only one who's _never left me_," she ground out, teeth clenched.

_Anna, I beg you, calm down,_ Mara quietly pleaded. _You know you'll never be alone as long as I'm here. You don't need to do this._

"Yes, I do!" Anna shot back, ignoring whatever pained sounds her sister might have made at her earlier observation. "This has gone on long enough!" She pounded on the door again. "Open up, Elsa! You don't get to hide from me, anymore! So help me, God, I will _break this door down _if you don't open it!"

There was a long moment of silence.

Then, quietly, almost unbelievably, the 'click' of the door being unlocked.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

For a long moment, Anna remained motionless in front of the door.

Despite her demand, she honestly hadn't expected Elsa to... do it. To unlock the door for her, to let her in. For the first time in forever, to stop hiding.

Even now, part of her suspected it was a trick of some kind.

Well, she decided, there was one way to find out. She reached out and, slowly, turned the handle. The interior latch let go, and the door swung inward. She let out a breathless little laugh, commenting, "Huh, it opened." She shook her head. "That's a first."

Knowing Elsa could change her mind and slam the door shut on her again any moment, Anna pushed it open... and was hit in the face with a blast of freezing cold air.

It was enough to break past her mood, the cold so completely out of place that, for the first time since she'd been told about her parents' deaths, she felt something other than misery or anger: a mixture of curiosity and sheer bafflement. Was Elsa stockpiling blocks of ice in there, or something? Perhaps she'd finally found a use for the position of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer, a title that had officially existed since not long after the founding of Arendelle, but had rarely ever been filled. The last such person had held it... what, a century ago?

_One hundred and twenty years, five months, and sixteen days, to be exact._

It had become obvious to her years ago that, whatever part of her brain it was that remembered such useless trivia and dull laws, that was probably where Mara lived.

_Don't sell yourself short. Also, open door, remember?_

Anna shook her head. What was the matter with her? Elsa's door was actually **open** for once, and she was just standing there? She'd wanted this to happen for **years**. Pushing the door open, she strode boldly inside.

And stopped dead in her tracks, barely registering the door closing again behind her as she stared at her surroundings in wide-eyed amazement.

Elsa's chambers had been transformed into a winter wonderland.

Ice patches were here and there on the floor and walls, with beautiful filigree patterns of frost covering the rest of the walls and windows. An occasional snowflake drifted down from... She looked up in confusion. From nowhere, it seemed, though there were icicles hanging down from the ceiling sporadically. Anna had no idea what her sister's living quarters looked like underneath the ice and snow - she hadn't missed the snow piles on the floor, looking like they'd been swept as far out of the way as they could get - but this was... _amazing_.

In the midst of the beauty stood Elsa herself, looking like it was taking everything she had not to dash past Anna and sprint out the door.

Having not gotten a good, solid look at her sister in ages, Anna's breath caught. Elsa... had grown up. She looked so much like Mama, especially with her hair bound up in a bun the way she had it, that Anna's heart hurt. The dress she was wearing - black, with dark blue highlights - suggested that she'd at least _intended _on going to the funeral, which did make Anna feel a bit better. As for why that hadn't happened... She looked around the room again, before returning her wondering gaze to her sister. She had her own suspicions, but needed to actually hear it. "Elsa? What... What **is** all this?"

Elsa fidgeted uncomfortably. "I..." She hugged herself, looking miserable.

Drawn by her sister's obvious distress, Anna took a step closer. Elsa took a corresponding step backward, briefly freeing up one hand to hold it up in a pleading manner. "Stay- stay over there... please." There was more than a touch of panic in her expression, which made listening to her very difficult. A biting cold wind sprang up from nowhere, making Anna shiver.

Elsa noticed. "Anna..."

"I'm not leaving." She wasn't even going to let Elsa entertain the notion. "Where did all this _come _from?" she demanded, sweeping her arm out to indicate their wintery surroundings. It may not have been summer, but it still hadn't snowed in over a month. Elsa couldn't have collected the snow from anywhere, and even if she had, it would have melted by now.

There was a long silence, filled only by the increasingly cold wind. Then, finally, barely audible over that, came, "...from me."

Despite having begun to suspect something like that, it still caught Anna by surprise. "But... how?" She moved closer, if only so she could better hear the answer over the rising wind.

Elsa backed up again, drawing closer to a frost- and ice-covered wall. "I... I have... powers." She obviously didn't want to be having this conversation.

Anna felt a little bad about pushing the matter, but she had, and there was no going back now. "You mean like... magic?"

"...yes..."

_I told you, Anna: the world is full of magic, if you know where to look for it._

"Well, I didn't know to look _here_," she muttered, the sound swallowed up by the wind. Elsa didn't seem to notice. She shook her head, advancing further. Elsa kept backing away until she hit the wall. "How long has this been going on?" A pause. "And why didn't anyone ever _tell _me?" Because if this was the reason Elsa shut herself away, then obviously, at least _some _people had known: her parents, Kai, Gerda, at least some of the servants and guards... All the people who lived in the palace and could be considered at least somewhat important.

Except for her.

She hadn't stopped moving, and Elsa was getting more agitated with every step. "Stay away from me!" she finally begged. "I don't want to hurt you again!"

That did make Anna stop mid-step, if only from sheer confusion. "Hurt me 'again'?" she echoed, frowning. "You've never hurt me before." Except by years of neglect, but that was a discussion for later.

There were icy trails forming on Elsa's cheeks; she was crying, Anna realized. It was getting harder and harder not to ignore Elsa's wishes and gather her up into the hug to end all hugs. "Y-yes, I have," her sister sobbed out. "You don't remember... You knew about my powers, when we were children. I was born with them. You always wanted me to 'do the magic'. You loved it so..." She took a steadying breath. "You woke me up one night, wanting to play. The sky was awake, so you were, too. It was too late to go outside, so we went down to the ballroom. We played in the snow, slid across the ice, and made a snowman. We _always _made a snowman." The words were tumbling from her, now, ten years of wanting to explain to her sister why she had to shut her out all coming out at once.

Anna was listening, barely aware of a dull throb growing in her head. "That's right... Olaf," she said. "I remember... I loved Olaf!"

Elsa smiled. It was brief, but undeniably there, and the wind lessened. "I know. You were always so _adorable _playing with him. Then..." She shivered, hugging herself tighter. "Then you started jumping from snow piles I conjured up for you, onto new ones. But they kept getting higher, and you started going faster... I told you to slow down, but you didn't hear me, and then I slipped... I'd never slipped on my ice, before. It was too late to stop you, or make you a landing pile, but I had to try _something_..." She swallowed hard. "...and I hit you in the head with an ice blast."

Anna stared, dumbfounded. How could she not remember _this_? "My hair...?"

Elsa nodded shakily. "I saw it turn white, right from where I'd hit you. You were laying so still and cold... I started screaming for Mama and Papa. I didn't mean to... I swear, I'm so sorry..."

"It's not your fault." The statement was as instinctive as it was certain. "It was just an accident." The ache in her head was becoming distracting. She rubbed at the spot where it seemed to be centered, near her white streak, as she remembered something else. "I dreamed I got kissed by a troll." Even though everyone had _told _her she'd been born with it. Had _lied _to her. Everyone but Mara... and Elsa, who'd chosen instead not to talk to her at all. Or had been to afraid to, anyway.

"That's... actually not far from the truth," Elsa admitted. "Papa found an old map in a book, and we took you to the trolls. You... You were barely breathing, by then. The troll chief saved you, but had to take all magic, all _memory _of magic, from your mind to do it. He showed me... what could happen if I didn't gain control of my powers." She didn't elaborate, but shuddered violently, giving Anna a fair idea of what she meant. "Papa closed the gates, reduced the staff, so there would be fewer people around that I could hurt..."

"...and separated us," Anna finished in a whisper.

Elsa shouldn't have been able to hear it, but nodded like she had. Not that it would have been hard to guess what she'd say. "I couldn't - I _**couldn't! **_\- risk hurting you again."

Anna was stricken by a horror of her own. "And every time I came to your door... I kept asking..."

"You didn't know," Elsa insisted. Even then, after everything, trying to ease her sister's pain. "You _couldn't _have known; we made sure of that." She sniffled. "You don't know... how much it meant to me, that you kept coming back, no matter how many times I sent you away, that you never gave up... on me."

Because she'd given up on herself, Anna realized, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with Elsa's magic. What would have happened if she hadn't forced Elsa to let her in? The pain in her head flared-

/"Do the magic, do the magic!"

"Are you ready?"/

-but she ignored it as best she could. She could worry about that later; Elsa needed her **now**. "Of course I didn't. How _could _I? You're my sister."

Elsa was shaking her head. "I was supposed to get control of my powers, but it only got worse, and worse... I can't make it stop, anymore!"

How was she supposed to fix this? She felt a sudden, brief empathy for Mama and Papa, who'd had to deal with that helpless feeling for years.

_And obviously failed to do so._

"How can I help?" she asked reflexively.

"You _can't_!" Elsa insisted, the wind intensifying so sharply it nearly knocked Anna down. "No one can! Do you think Mama and Papa didn't try?! They..." She slammed one fist into the wall, ice spreading out from the point of impact. Despite everything, Anna felt a brief moment of wonder. "You don't... You don't understand, do you? It's my fault."

"What are you-?"

"_I could have saved them_!" Elsa screamed, snow mixing in with the howling wind. "If I'd been there... If I'd had control..." The wind abruptly stopped, snowflakes hanging suspended in mid-air. Anna, who had been leaning into it to maintain her balance, nearly fell over. "...I could have saved them," Elsa whispered, voice hollow. "It's all my fault."

_Saltwater isn't all that easy to freeze._

"Mara's right," Anna insisted. At Elsa blank look, she realized her mistake, and repeated, "Saltwater's not all that easy to freeze."

That elicited a bitter laugh from her sister. "I could have done it. It wouldn't even have been hard. But I was too afraid to go with them. Too busy thinking of _myself_."

"More like everyone _but _yourself, from what you've been telling me," Anna objected.

Elsa didn't argue with the correction, but didn't seem to care, either. "What kind of mon-"

"Don't!" Anna's already fragile self-control snapped, and she lunged forward the remaining few feet separating them, yanking a startled Elsa into a hug before she could stop her. "Don't you _dare _finish that sentence!"

Elsa froze in place for a long moment, then began trying to squirm out of her sister's embrace. "L-let go... You have to-"

"No!" Anna tightened her grip. "Not again!" She didn't even care that the blizzard had started up again. If the indoor weather signified her sister's mental state, this had to be better than the still void that had preceded it. "_None of this is your fault! _I will _**not **_stand here and let you keep blaming yourself for ANY of it! What happened when we were kids was an accident, and as much my fault as yours, if not more so!"

"But-"

"And you _**couldn't **_have known what would happen to Mama and Papa!" she continued, completely ignoring her sister's attempted interruption. "Do you think the crew didn't know what they were doing? If _they _were caught off-guard by this, what makes you think _you _would have had time to react? You might have died, too, and then... Then I'd..." She wouldn't have been _alone_, exactly, as Mara would still have been there... But having to bury Elsa as well as her parents, all at the same time...

That would have been just too much for her to handle.

And forget about her having to become _Queen _after that...

"Please..."

"They were wrong, Elsa," she declared. "They _never _should have split us up." She was abruptly certain of it, though she couldn't have explained why.

"They... They wanted me to spend some time with you," Elsa confided, not fighting Anna's embrace anymore, but not returning it, either. "I couldn't risk it, though... I didn't have any control..."

"But you _did _at one point, right?" Anna pressed. "Before the accident, did you ever have any trouble?"

"Well... No, but..."

"Don't _you _understand? They never should have taken me away from you; that's when everything began going wrong."

She'd had Mara. Elsa... had been all alone, swallowed up by her fear.

Slowly convincing herself that she was a monster.

Anna felt ashamed of herself for her earlier self-centered thoughts, for not trying harder to get through to Elsa.

For not _being _there.

"Well, I'm here now," she declared, as much to herself as to Elsa. "And I'm not leaving you alone again."

"How can you...?"

"I _**love **_you, Elsa!" By this point, she needed to shout to be heard over the wind. "You are my _sister_, and I love you, and I'm sorry I didn't try harder over the years to make sure you knew that! Because it's _**always **_been true!"

Three things happened at the same time:

1) The ice storm just... stopped, as if it had never been there at all.

2) Elsa let out a loud sob and threw her arms around her sister, hugging her as tightly as she could manage.

and 3) Elsa's maneuver sent them crashing painfully to their knees, but neither noticed as they landed on the suddenly, inexplicably dry rug.

Anna simply held Elsa as she cried, comforting her as best she could while relishing the feeling of hugging her sister for the first time in about ten years. (Mara, thankfully, did not chime in with the _exact _length of time.) She didn't even bother trying to keep track of how long they sat like that as Elsa cried herself out. It must have been a while, though, as she was feeling sore from holding the slightly awkward position, and her back needed to be straightened in the _worst _way by the time Elsa's sobs began tapering off. She shifted slightly, rewarded by a loud series of pops... and froze as she opened her eyes, taking a good look around at her sister's bedroom.

Her sister's now _ice-free _bedroom. "What the...?" There weren't even puddles from melted snow on the floor.

Elsa, sniffling, looked up to see what had caught her sister's attention... and froze in surprise. "I... What...?"

Having no real idea what had happened, Anna simply shrugged and smiled warmly at her. "I told you they never should have split us up," she said simply.

Elsa, speechless, slowly smiled in return.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

Author's Note: In answer to those of you wondering if, now that Anna knows Elsa's secret and is helping her deal with it, the story's just about over... No. Oh, my goodness, no. Not even close. :)

* * *

Waking up the next morning proved to be an... interesting affair.

Anna couldn't remember if she'd dreamed anything. She supposed she must have, she'd heard that dreaming was a normal part of the sleep cycle that happened to everyone. Everyone but her, it seemed like - she could barely _ever _remembered any of hers. She didn't feel quite as refreshed as she usually did, but knew that was mainly due to how emotionally wrung out she'd been by the end of the day, as well as the fact that she'd woken up so early the sun wasn't even clearing the horizon, yet. She began to stretch... then froze, as her limbs bumped into a surprisingly solid mass clinging to her.

It took her brain a moment to wake up enough to remember why, then she smiled.

She and Elsa had wound up walking late into the night about, well, everything. They had ten years to catch up on, after all. Even a few hours wouldn't be enough time to cover everything they'd missed. Elsa had even requested dinner for the both of them to be brought to her chambers, not feeling up to facing more people than she absolutely had to. Anna hadn't felt like sharing her sister, yet, so she'd been fine with that. (Mara had been staying quiet, letting the sisters bond.) Even after their dishes had been taken away, she hadn't wanted to leave, and suspected she'd ended up falling asleep leaning against Elsa. Her sister must not have felt up to either waking her up or getting the two of them changed for bed, as she'd simply thrown a blanket over the both of them and called it a night.

She'd _stayed_, though. More to the point, she'd let _Anna _stay. The younger princess still had trouble believing it, despite her sister's warm breath tickling her neck. As if aware of her thoughts, Elsa let out a quiet noise, burrowing her face closer... and jerked back in surprise as she was hit by a potent bolt of static electricity. She blinked at Anna in sleepy bewilderment, the few strands of hair that had escaped her bun during the night standing upright.

Anna sighed quietly, reaching up... Yep, sure enough, her braids had come partially undone, turning her hair into a frizzy halo around her head. She started to speak, paused, cleared her throat, and tried again. "Sorry about that," she muttered, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm dangerous in the mornings." It hit her, a moment later, that being dangerous really was _not _something she should be even joking about with Elsa, yet, but her sister either knew better than to take it too seriously, or hadn't woken up enough to understand what she'd said.

"Don't worry about it," Elsa insisted as she swallowed a yawn. "I think it's my fault that it's so dry in here, don't you?" she asked, smiling just a little.

Smiling. Elsa was _smiling_. It was small, but definitely there. She wished Mama and Papa could see it.

_Indeed. You did more in the space of a few hours than they did in ten years._

That hadn't actually been what she'd meant... Though, thinking about it, she had, hadn't she? Her parents, their servants, maybe even that doctor... They'd all failed to help Elsa, over and over. Yet she, the Useless Spare, had done what none of them could do.

She smiled. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Elsa sighed, sitting up on the bed and losing her smile. She didn't push Anna away, though. "A number of meetings, I should think. I also need to go over matters with the Prime Minister. I won't need to meet with the Council, since you already took care of that for me - thank you for that, by the way - but I have a number of forms to fill out, papers to sign..." She grimaced. "...and official condolence messages to read."

Thinking about all that threatened to depress even Anna... but no! No, she would not allow that. "I think I can talk my tutors into cancelling lessons for a day or two so I can help you out with all that," she said, giving Elsa's hand a squeeze.

Elsa had a look on her face that Anna had begun becoming familiar with as they'd talked last night: that of someone afraid to believe she might be able to have something she wanted, but unable to stop wanting it all the same. "But-" she began.

"No," Anna interrupted. "It's okay. It would only be for a day or two, after all. Even after that, though, you should plan on seeing a lot of me. Maybe you could even come to meals." She smiled. Maybe she and Elsa had outgrown their old childhood games, but that didn't mean they couldn't find anything fun to do together. She made a mental note to discuss the matter with Mara later. "And don't worry, even there, it won't be much more than just the two of us."

"I think... I might be able to handle that," Elsa said slowly. "But you need to understand something. I may have started figuring out how to make my ice go away last night, but that isn't the same as being in control. If I'm having a bad day and tell you to stay back, I _need _you to listen to me."

Anna nodded. She didn't like it, but if she had a good, honest reason why - especially one as serious as that - she could do it. "I'll stay out of your rooms if I have to, but don't expect me to go away again." She'd talked to Elsa from the other side of a door for ten years, after all. Now that she knew to be careful to avoid certain topics, she _knew _she could help her sister all the more.

Elsa looked relieved. "That's fair." She looked at the window, where the sun was slowly creeping over the horizon. "Why don't you go wash up and get dressed, then meet me downstairs for breakfast?"

Anna blinked, then let out an excited squeal and gave Elsa a big hug. "You're on!" she declared, letting go and dashing for the door so abruptly Elsa had to brace herself against the mattress to avoid losing her balance. Anna heard her sister chuckling fondly behind her, and her own smile only grew.

* * *

"You're being awfully quiet," Anna observed as she finished re-braiding her hair. She'd selected a soft yellow dress with a black top and white blouse under it. (She'd decided, as much as she loved it, she couldn't wear green _all _the time.)

_You and your sister had a lot to catch up on,_ Mara replied. _I didn't want to interrupt. Besides, it's hard for three people to have a conversation that only two can hear._

Anna snorted. "Well, thank you for that. I just don't want you to start thinking I'm going to ignore you, now."

Anna's reflection blurred, then was replaced by a young woman with dark eyes and a mass of untamed, inky black curls spilling down her back and over her shoulders, falling to about mid-chest. Anna raised an eyebrow. Not so much about what Mara was doing - this wasn't the first time she'd pulled that trick with a mirror; she didn't do it a lot, since talking to your invisible friend was one thing, while addressing a real, solid object made it too tempting for people to try and "prove" Mara wasn't real - but what she was _wearing_: namely, the same dress Anna had worn to the funeral.

She very nearly started crying again as she thought it. She hadn't worked through her grief yet, after all, so much as it had been forced aside by the complicated mess of emotion that had come from beginning to reconnect with Elsa. Still, with Mara _and _Elsa to lean on, she knew she'd be okay, in time.

Mara shrugged, knowing, as always, what was on Anna's mind. (She'd said more than once that Anna didn't really need to speak to her _aloud_, if she didn't want to have to be explaining herself to everyone all the time, but that seemed too much like admitting she wasn't a real person. The more her parents had tried to get her to accept that, the more she'd believed the opposite.) "It seemed appropriate. Because you're right; you're _not _done, yet."

Her eyes narrowed. Something about Mara's expression... "What?"

Mara hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't want to make you upset."

Anna sighed. "Please tell me? You know how I feel about people keeping things from me. I don't want to add you to that list."

Mara winced. Actually _seeing _how she reacted was always a mixed blessing. "I know. I just... don't want you to get your hopes up too much."

"Huh?"

"I know you're happy to be reconnecting with your sister, but... Well, she shut you out for ten years. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Anna clenched her jaws, refusing to say anything until she'd worked past her initial surge of anger at anyone speaking ill of her sister. Mara, as far as she knew, was right: Elsa had hurt her for ten years due to a lack of trust, and might well do so again. From an objective perspective, it was an entirely valid concern.

Anna had never managed to be objective where her sister was concerned. "I appreciate your concern," she began.

"-but you'll just do whatever you want anyway?" Mara finished, shaking her head. "I just think you shouldn't _rush_, is all."

"I know." Anna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I won't be, I promise. I don't think Elsa will want to, either." After being isolated for so long, she would no doubt be awfully skittish around people.

"I suppose that's all I can ask." Mara's image disappeared, replaced with Anna's reflection once again. _I just worry, is all._

"I know," Anna replied, feeling some of the tension drain out of her. Disagreements with Mara, even as rare as they were, always made her feel like that. "I _do _appreciate it, you know."

_I hate it when you're in pain. You're the best friend I've ever had. _A pause. _Truthfully, you're the __**only**__ friend I've ever had._

"You're my best friend, too." Even if she did have Elsa back, now. That was still a work-in-progress, in any event.

Speaking of whom...

She gave her reflection one more glance, nodded in satisfaction, then hurried out the door.

* * *

She nearly collided with Elsa as she reached the door to the dining room.

She wasn't quite sure whether her sister had been waiting there for her, or had been working up the nerve to go in. Either way, Anna solved the dilemma by looping her arm through Elsa's and leading her inside, the elder princess allowing a quiet, nervous huff of laughter.

Gerda looked up as she entered. "Good morning, Princess Anna. You're certainly up earlier tha-" She broke off as she realized Anna wasn't alone. "Princess Elsa! I- Ah, I hadn't expected..." Her expression warred between astonishment, alarm, shock, and utter confusion.

Maybe it made her a bad person, but given everything Gerda had hidden from her, Anna found her reaction _immensely _satisfying.

Elsa snapped out of her own uncertainty, retreating into Royal Mode. "Good morning, Gerda, I will be joining my sister for breakfast this morning. Please inform the cook, then set an extra place at the table."

As the still stunned servant hurried off to carry out her orders, Elsa, looking every inch the regal monarch, sat down at the table next to her sister.

Awkward silence ensued.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

_**Three Years Later**_

She was late, again.

It was all Anna could do to walk calmly down the hall, rather than breaking into a sprint. She was supposed to have been in Elsa's office at least ten minutes ago. Well, Elsa got caught up in paperwork all the time these days, right? Maybe she hadn't noticed?

She winced and walked a little faster.

Just a few years ago, she wouldn't have been fighting her natural inclination to hurry. In the time since, however, Elsa had insisted that, when she was where other people could see her, she at least give the illusion of maintaining proper decorum. It was one of the only things Elsa had _ever _asked of her, and there was a part of her that was embarrassed that she'd even needed to be _asked _to behave like the proper Princess she was _supposed _to be. As such, she'd taken to trying to give herself enough time to actually get places without rushing, and finding the best way to phrase her reasons for being late without it seeming like she was making excuses.

She'd been getting a lot of practice at the latter.

She'd also made sure to keep her discussions with Mara as private as she could manage. She had a sneaking suspicion that was at least half of what had prompted Elsa's request; Arendelle already had an heir that suffered from depression and anxiety attacks (Anna had _freaked _out the first time Elsa had one while she was around - Elsa had 'neglected to mention' that any such thing ever happened - to the point where Mara had needed to calm her down just so that she could, in turn, calm _Elsa _down), they didn't need a princess that walked around talking to voices in her head. She'd never said Mara had to go - she'd been very careful about that - just not to be _seen _doing it. It had been a reasonable enough request, and she hadn't felt like explaining Mara to anyone else, so she'd agreed.

Fortunately, Mara hadn't been offended.

Lengthy conversations were reserved for when they were alone. Elsa's presence was acceptable, but not necessarily preferred. Anna knew that her sister got a bit uncomfortable when she did that, and that, in turn, irritated Mara. Best to just avoid the whole thing whenever possible. Around other people, she did her best to limit herself to simple statements that seemed to be just thinking aloud. Quirky was acceptable for a princess, crazy was not.

Elsa didn't show up for every meal, but ever since that first awkward breakfast, she'd been doing her best to do so more and more frequently. If she couldn't make it for whatever reason - usually work-related - she at least made sure Anna knew ahead of time not to expect her. Learning how to talk to each other in an informal setting again had been a slow, lengthy process. Still, while things could even now be a bit stilted and awkward between them, they _did _talk, and read together, and, on rare occasions, even play.

That had been the most difficult part of this whole business. Elsa had taken a while to get to the point where she was even at all comfortable around other people. Physical contact had taken even longer. Getting her to relax to the point where she was able to have fun...? _Still _a work in progress. Sitting together reading was one thing. Simple things like card games or chess hadn't been _too _much harder. (Anna could often win the first, if only due to Elsa's unfamiliarity with them, but, unsurprisingly, Elsa almost always beat her at chess.) Bicycle and/or horse riding had been flatly rejected... which had actually been fine with Anna, who had trouble getting along with skittish animals like that, for some reason.

Anna hadn't yet worked up the nerve to ask Elsa to make a snowman.

Still, even if it took helping Elsa with her work, Anna made sure to spend time with her sister every day. With her coronation approaching, Elsa got frazzled more easily than ever these days. Not being completely stupid, her tutors, aware of the calming affect her younger sister had on the Queen-To-Be, had rearranged her few remaining lessons to make sure they had plenty of time together.

And they didn't even know about Elsa's powers.

That had been one of their more frequent discussions, whether or not she should reveal her powers to the kingdom - and thus, the world at large. Elsa, who had _mostly _shaken her old "Conceal, Don't Feel" mantra (that just made Anna want to hit their father), still couldn't help but want to keep it a secret. Anna, on the other hand, felt that if she revealed them in a predetermined, controlled manner, it would eliminate the risk of an accident letting it slip and blowing up in their faces. She was pretty sure Elsa didn't disagree, but was just to scared to do so, yet. There were days when, even though she didn't need to, anymore, she still wore her gloves. (Learning why she did, and where they'd originally come from, had been rather depressing.)

That was fine. Anna fully intended on doing everything in her power to help Elsa get to a point where she felt comfortable letting other people in. Which, she acknowledged ruefully, would be a lot easier if she could be on time more often.

She sighed, looking around. Seeing the coast was clear, she broke into a run.

The good news was that she didn't run into anyone else on the way to Elsa's office. (It had formerly been the King's study, but since, even three years later, thinking of her late parents still hurt, she'd taken to calling it an office once Elsa had begun making use of it.) The bad news, though, was that Elsa wasn't there, either. "I hope she's not out looking for me," she commented as she closed the door behind her. Her body was caught in an odd state where part of her was content to just let her breathing, which had picked up a little, settle back to normal, while the rest of her wanted _more_, wanted to _really _run. Some day soon, she decided, she was going to indulge that part. For now, though...

_Why would she be? _Mara asked reasonably. _She knew you were coming, and you being late isn't exactly uncommon._

"Hey!"

_Truth, and you know it._

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," she muttered, settling into Elsa's chair and studying the documents on the desk. "Let's see what we've got here... Revised trade agreement with Weaseltown-"

_Weselton._

"-with **Weaseltown**, proposal for funding of a hospital - you'd think we'd already have one - request for funding to enlarge the harbor to build additional docks... Well, that'd help with trade, I suppose. Request for-" She choked as she read the next paper. "-Elsa's hand in marriage?!"

_Well, there's something she neglected to mention._

"I..." Anna shook her head. It had taken her a while to get used to thinking of her as a real, flesh-and-blood person, rather than a voice behind a door. Her getting married was something she had trouble _conceiving _of. "She might not have seen it, yet. And if she has no intention of getting married, she might not think it was even worth mentioning."

_It's on her desk. She's seen it._

"That doesn't mean anything." Still, she began studying the other papers on the desk more carefully. A number of them were letters, indicating more active correspondence than she'd been aware Elsa had been taking part in. They didn't indicate another person was trying to court her sister.

Ten more were.

Reading through them closely, it certainly seemed like Elsa had been politely but firmly turning each person down. "How long has this been going on?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head.

_Since she came of legal age to wed, I would imagine. Young, single, heir to the throne... Every prince and noble that learned of her would begin trying to win her heart. I wonder if they were all single?_

"Mara," she chided.

_What? She'd be quite a prize. _A pause. _Both of you would, for that matter._

Anna blinked, having no real idea how to react to the idea of some random stranger wanting to marry her, sight unseen.

_That won't be happening._

As reassuring as that statement might otherwise be... Something in Mara's tone made her hesitate. She knew that, while Mara didn't say anything, she still wasn't entirely happy about having to share her with Elsa. During some of the worse days, she'd made it clear that Anna would always have her, and that she didn't really _need _anyone else. She could understand it - she was Mara's only friend, so if Anna was spending time with someone else, there wasn't exactly anything else for her to do - but still... "You know I'm not leaving you," she began.

_Would you? _Mara asked suddenly. _If you could?_

"Of course not! You've _always _been there for me! I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

_And if you do meet a man someday that you might fall in love with? What then?_

"Well, I guess he'd better be okay with sharing me, hadn't he?"

* * *

Elsa leaned against the railing of the balcony, eyes closed, letting the refreshing breeze wash over her. She'd been reading through the various proposals she'd recieved - personal and professional - until she'd begun feeling closed in, needing an escape before she began covering the study in ice. Only knowing that she _could _do so, now, that she didn't need to just stay shut in one room (or series of rooms) had let her keep her magic in check.

She didn't know how long she'd been out there, but suspected that it had been long enough that, ironically enough, Anna would by now be waiting for her. She felt a fond exasperation as she thought of her perpetually late sister; she'd considered buying the girl a pocket watch, but somehow knew it wouldn't do any good.

Okay. She could breathe easily enough that she felt confident she wasn't going to slip into an anxiety attack. The tension hadn't gone away, exactly, but it was at least at a level she knew how to work through. She headed back inside, making her way toward her study.

It still felt so odd referring to it as hers. All her life, it had been her father's. She'd known she would inherit it one day, when she became Queen, but she should have had many more years to prepare for that.

_And what would have happened to your relationship with Anna, if you had?_

The thought drew her up short, making her pause at the door to the study. She hated to put it that way, but it was true. Chances were, if their parents hadn't died so suddenly, if Anna's patience hadn't finally snapped, causing her to force the issue then and there... Well, things between them might have deteriorated to the point where their bond would have been broken beyond any possibility of repair. Anna wouldn't have waited forever, and Elsa, her self-esteem shot to pieces, would never have tried to get her to stay.

She felt bad speaking or even thinking ill of the dead, but her father had been wrong in his approach to the situation, all those years ago. Especially where Anna had been concerned. _Though,_ she thought guiltily, _I do share the blame for that part of it._ Why, oh why, hadn't she ever followed their advice, and tried to reconnect with Anna at least a little while they'd still been alive?

Ah, well. Too late for second guessing. She could "What if?" herself to death, and it wouldn't accomplish anything. She'd lost her parents, but she had her sister back, and wouldn't be letting her go again without a fight.

Even if, some days, she was convinced Anna - and everyone else, for that matter - would be better off without her. Those were the days she needed Anna the most, needed the love and affection Anna was always more than happy to provide.

She reached out to grab the door handle... then yanked her hand back with a quiet hiss at a by-now familiar spark of static electricity. Not even her gloves, when she wore them, could keep _those _out. Clearly, Anna had already skidded her way into the study. (While her other reasons had been entirely valid, she would admit that part of it had been that, when Anna wasn't dashing about the carpeted halls, such jolts seemed to be fewer and further between.) She opened the door, then paused. Anna seemed to be in the middle of having a spirited conversation with herself, which she knew from experience actually meant she was, however politely, arguing with Mara.

Her sister's insistence on maintaining her imaginary friend for so long was as sad as it was troubling. Admittedly, Elsa could only spend so much time with her, and still didn't feel comfortable enough to have the gates opened, while Anna couldn't wander too far away from her, should Elsa need her help dealing with her anxiety or depression. It wasn't really fair to expect so much of her, but Anna always waved off her concerns, stating that it was even less fair for Elsa to have had to deal with it all on her own for so long.

"No, I... Yes, I know," Anna was saying. "Well, when would that even happen?" Elsa slowly walked through the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Anna was standing in front of the mirror hanging on the far wall - Elsa was pretty sure Papa had put it there to make sure he and Mama looked presentable when leaving, should they ever have been... enjoying each other's company in the study - glaring at her reflection. "I don't see why you're getting so worked up about this... Yes, you are! It... Okay, no... Well, obviously not. But who'd even... What?" She turned to look toward the door. "Elsa!" she exclaimed, straightening up and brushing some imaginary lint off her dress. "There you are!"

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said, walking forward to collect Anna's now-standard greeting of a bone-crushing hug. (She wondered, sometimes, if she actually _wasn't _the only one of them to have powers; Anna always seemed a lot stronger than her size and stature suggested she should be.) "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Nah, not really," Anna said, waving it off. "I know I've kept you waiting far longer than this." Her eyes darted off to the side briefly, and her smile became slightly strained.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Again, that brief sideways glance. Anna sighed quietly, seemingly conceding to something, and added, "I was reading through the papers on your desk."

A knot of tension began forming in Elsa's stomach. "Ignore the proposals," she insisted. "That sort of thing is fairly standard among the ruling class. Honestly, if they can't even bother to actually meet me in person before they decide to try courting me, they're not worth my time."

Anna seemed to relax a little. "That's what I said... Well, it's close enough to it," she insisted, darting another look off to the side. "For future reference, though, you can tell me about the unimportant stuff like that, too. Maybe we can even laugh at some of them together," she said with a quick smile.

"Okay. And I _am _sorry. It's still... hard... sometimes, to open up about things. To remember that I _can_, now."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine." She paused. "Yes, it is!"

Elsa hesitated. "...are you _sure _you're okay?"

"Yes, I-" Anna whirled to face the mirror. "I am _not_ saying **that**!"

Elsa honestly had no idea how to react. This wasn't a situation that had ever come up, before. "If you're sure...?"

Anna drew herself up with as much dignity as she could manage. "I am. If you'll excuse me a moment, I think I'll go find Gerda and ask her to bring us some water, then we can get started." So saying, she hurried out of the study, her emerald skirt swishing as she went. Elsa sighed, shaking her head as she wondered what had gotten into her sister. She looked briefly at the mirror... and jerked her head back in surprise.

The young woman in the reflection was _NOT _her.

"I'm watching you," the stranger said flatly, her voice having a trace of an accent to it that Elsa wasn't familiar with. Her hair was solid black, an unusual color in that part of the world, and a riot of curls. "You may have had good reasons for it, but you hurt her. Badly. I will not sit idly by and let you do so again."

"What..?"

She couldn't think of anything else to say, but that seemed to be the wrong choice. The woman's surprisingly dark eyes narrowed, and her arm actually reached out _from _the mirror, grabbing hold of the front of Elsa's dress and yanking her forward, until her face smashed into the glass. "Do _not _feign ignorance of what you've done, 'your Highness'! I am warning you... I will not let you, or anyone else, hurt Anna _ever again_. Understand?" Elsa made a pained noise that was evidently taken for agreement, and she was released to fall to the floor. When she looked back up, eyes wide with fright, the other girl was gone, leaving only a bloody smear on the glass from where her nose had hit.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, trying to compose herself - and pinching her nose to stop the bleeding - before she heard footsteps hurriedly dashing toward her, and Anna was at her side. "Elsa! What the-? What happened?"

"I think... I think I owe you an apology regarding your invisible friend," she said slowly, because there was really no one else that _could _have been.

She also decided that the question of what had gotten into her sister had just taken on a far more serious meaning.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

Anna stared at her sister in bewilderment. "What?"

Elsa honestly wasn't sure how to have this conversation. For once, though, she didn't think that would have been any different had she grown up to be social and well-adjusted. How did one tell their sister that her invisible friend-

Wait.

Invisible. That was the word that Anna always used, whenever she'd spoken of Mara in the past. She'd never once called her imaginary. Understandable as a child, but now that she'd reached eighteen...

Because she'd always known - or at least _believed _\- that Mara was real. But what _was _Mara, exactly? She was aware of the books in the bookcase closest to the window - mostly out of sight of any visitors. Tomes that held collections of myths and history, easily confused by those who didn't know any better. All the knowledge that her father had collected about the supernatural, while he had (fruitlessly) searched for information about her powers, and how they might be controlled. (How he - or she herself, for that matter - had never picked up on the massive hint that the trolls had given them that night in all the time since, she had no idea.) Perhaps somewhere in all of that, she might find an answer to this new mystery.

She debated just putting off the conversation until later, pretending she'd just tripped and collided with the mirror on her own, but rejected the notion a moment later. She'd promised Anna, after all: no more secrets, no more lying, no more locked doors. "I'm pretty sure I just met your friend, Mara," she finally said.

Anna just looked more confused than before. "I... How? What happened?" The second question didn't seem directed solely at her, an idea which was confirmed when Anna frowned. "What?" She shook her head. "I can barely hear her. I've never heard her sound so _exhausted _before."

So manifesting for anyone but Anna was an enormous strain on her, it seemed. Well, at least she wouldn't likely need to worry about being strangled in her sleep or shoved off her balcony, then. "She wanted to let me know she'd be watching me, and wasn't going to let _anyone _hurt you again."

Anna blinked in surprise, then frowned, looking off to the side, face darkening. "Damn it, Mara, I _told _you that things would be fine! I-" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Elsa, I really am. She's just... protective."

And Elsa had hurt her for ten years straight. "I understand that. I would just prefer that, in the future, she not make her point quite so... forcefully."

"She won't," Anna promised immediately, then rose to her feet. "Don't move. I'll go get the doctor."

"Anna, it's just a nosebleed. I'm fine," Elsa assured her, but Anna was already swishing out the door.

It didn't take Anna long to return with the Royal Physician - she must have been running in the halls again - and she hovered anxiously while he examined the elder princess. As Elsa had suspected, she hadn't suffered any real damage. Indeed, the bleeding had already stopped. She'd have to be careful with her nose for the immediate future, so it wouldn't start back up again, but she knew that wouldn't be a problem.

She told the doctor she'd tripped and stumbled into the mirror. That was all he needed to know.

What was surprising was that Anna didn't stick around for long after he left. She'd apologized for ducking out on her, but it was obvious she wanted to be anywhere else, just then. Elsa suspected she was going to find a quiet spot somewhere so she could interrogate Mara on exactly what had happened, and chastise her for it.

Elsa didn't try to stop her.

That was a conversation that needed to happen, after all. She'd been thinking the matter over carefully during the doctor's visit, and decided that one of two things was true.

Option One: Mara actually _was _a figment of her sister's imagination. In this scenario, she wasn't the only one of them who had powers. Anna, shut out and ignored by everyone for years, had thought of her imaginary friend as a separate entity for so long that she'd begun manifesting her, somehow, to give voice to everything that she tried to keep concealed. (As Elsa knew all too well, concealing wasn't an effective long-term strategy for dealing with emotions.) If that were true, it would mean Anna wasn't quite as okay with things - and with her sister - as she wanted everyone to believe. Not good, by any means, but something she could certainly deal with.

Option Two: There was someone or some _thing _inside her sister. Mara being a real... person, for lack of a better term, was far more worrying. (Though it did at least suggest that Anna was being truthful in her reactions to Elsa, powers and all.) The idea of some unknown entity possessing her sister was chilling - literally; the room's temperature swiftly began plummeting - and she didn't have the slightest idea how to get it out of her. She couldn't even risk harming it, as any such efforts were only likely to harm Anna instead.

She never would have thought she'd actually _want _Anna to be secretly upset with her.

Sighing quietly, she moved over to the occult bookcase and began perusing the shelves. There weren't too many books to choose from - her father had only sought out those that might conceivably be of some help with her, after all - so she wasn't expecting to find much information there. One, written in Dutch, seemed to be an encyclopedia of some sort, which she thought was probably her best bet.

She sat down at her desk, opening the book atop the stack of courting and/or marriage requests, and began skimming through it. Dutch wasn't her strongest language, but she was conversant enough to manage well enough. The main problem was that she had no real idea what she was looking for. 'Mostly invisible being that lives in someone's head and can slam people into mirrors' wasn't exactly helpful in narrowing things down. On a whim, she skipped to the 'M' section and began reading through that. Really, though, she doubted it would be that-

_Mara__ \- A maleficent female wraith in Scandinavian folklore that causes nightmares._

Had she actually been drinking any of the water Anna had brought back with her before, she might well have sprayed it all over her desk.

* * *

"Nightmares?" Anna repeated, confused.

Mara, staring at the floor and looking, for the first time in Anna's memory, ashamed, nodded. Once secure in her bedroom, Anna had demanded an explanation of what had happened with Elsa, and Mara had complied, even manifesting a physical appearance (or the illusion of one, Anna supposed) upon Anna's request, so that she could actually see her reactions, despite how tired she was. When Anna had asked _how _she'd managed to do it, that had lead to an explanation of just what, exactly, Mara actually was.

The answer was not what Anna had expected it to be.

"I don't think I've ever had any nightmares," Anna continued, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"I've never given you any," Mara replied. "I can't say you've _never _had any, but I try to steer your mind away from them, when I can."

"Then why...?"

"What I do now and what I once did are not the same." She sighed. "I didn't just spring whole into being that night when you were five, Anna. I have a past, and... Well, it's not a pretty one." There was that look of shame, again.

Anna was feeling somewhat ashamed herself. "I am such a bad friend," she declared, shoulders falling.

Mara's head snapped up. "No, you're not. What are you talking about?"

"I am!" Anna insisted. "How could I never ask where you came from, or what you used to do? You always just go along with what I want to do, and I just take that for granted, instead of asking what _you _might want to do, or where you might want to go... I knew you weren't imaginary, right from the beginning, but only _now _do I ask any follow-up questions?"

Mara shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. I didn't exactly volunteer any information, did I? Even knowing how that sort of obfuscation about your sister hurt you." She wilted, admitting, "And I'm still doing it. My past... isn't something I enjoy talking about. Some things, I don't ever want to discuss, even knowing how angry you'll be with me when you find out the truth. But... You deserve answers. So, ask me what you want. I'll try to answer them as best I can."

Anna didn't know where to start.

* * *

Best to start with the obvious question, Elsa decided as she flipped through the book.

What, exactly, was a wraith?

_The __**wraith **__is a vague term that describes a ghostly creature, a spirit of another world, or more generally a mysterious being to be feared._

_**Etymology**_

_The word may be of Scots origin, possibly through Old Norse vörðr, meaning "guardian" (cf. the Modern English cognates "ward" and "warden"), and related to Irish arrach, meaning "apparition". An association with the verb "writhe" has also been claimed. The word "wraith" is first attested in 1513, with the meaning of "ghost or spectre" (that is, an apparition of a living or once-living being, possibly as a portent of death)._

_In 18th century Scotland it was applied to aquatic spirits. Over time, it came to be used in a metaphoric sense to refer to wraith-like things, and to portents in general._

_**Description**_

_The classic depiction of a wraith is identical to the image of a tall, humanoid figure shrouded in a black cloak, under which no face can be seen, though a hand protrudes and long, sharp fingers._

Well, that certainly didn't match the girl she'd seen in the mirror. Though, if Mara were only some kind of spirit, perhaps she could simply take on whatever features she chose. Admittedly, Anna had always seen her that way, so maybe it was her new default appearance.

_The wraith is a being of power, controlled by a greater spirit to do the creatures will. These creatures are shadows, floating amongst our realm with no purpose but that of their masters. They feed on humans, their emotions and their own strength, without these they would cease to exist. Information considering their lesser-known qualities is difficult to obtain._

Unless... one were to simply ask, she supposed. Not an option for most, if they were as rare and secretive as it seemed, but... Mara had been around for thirteen years, and showed no signs of going away anytime soon. Maybe she'd be willing to talk, if Anna were doing the asking.

She had to admit, though, that what she really wanted to know was how to make the wraith go away. _Not _an answer she imagined Mara would be inclined to give. And if she'd been sent by some greater spirit... Well, that just raised a whole host of new questions. Foremost among them being: What did any of them want with Anna?

Or, she amended as she watched patterns of frost slowly creep across the book's pages, was it _Anna _that they wanted at all?

* * *

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Anna fidgeted awkwardly. She didn't like prying into things that made people uncomfortable, especially Mara. However, she also didn't like it when people hid things from her, as Mara obviously had been doing.

Pointing out that she was guilty of exactly what she'd been so upset with Elsa for doing hadn't made anybody happy.

"Not right now, no," Mara replied. It was clear she hated having this conversation, hated that she _needed _to, but she'd told Anna to ask whatever she wanted, and _would _do her best to answer. "There are still things that... Well, hopefully, none of them will ever become an issue. If that changes, I assure you that I'll let you know."

Anna couldn't say she was happy about that, but at least Mara was being up front about it, rather than lying the way her parents had, or offering evasions like Elsa. She was hiding things, but she admitted she was hiding things, and really, didn't everyone have secrets? Mara deserved some privacy, too, and given that they were sharing headspace... Well, this seemed the least Anna could do, especially given everything Mara had done for her over the years. "I don't think Elsa's going to like this," she said instead.

"Elsa didn't like me before she knew I wasn't just a figment of your imagination," Mara replied evenly. "Though, I admit, I may have gone a bit... overboard, in warning her."

"I just hope-" She was interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Anna?"

For a moment - just a brief moment - she toyed with the idea of telling Elsa to go away. Partly because she wasn't done talking to Mara, but mostly... Well, mostly because there was a part of her - a small, angry part - that thought that Elsa deserved it, deserved to know what it felt like, to be shut out by the sister she loved so much. The rest of her, however, couldn't even _conceive _of shutting people out. She knew all-too well how much it hurt, after all. "Come in," she called.

Elsa opened the door and stepped inside, hesitating for a moment before shutting it behind her. Anna stiffened. So, it was going to be _that _conversation already, was it? Well, never let it be said that Elsa wastes any time, she thought. She didn't even have to check to see that, despite Elsa being unable to see it, Mara had let the illusion of a physical body go. It existed only in Anna's mind, after all, and she didn't want to tie up any of her mental resources just then.

And maybe, just maybe, she still felt bad about what she'd done to Elsa, and didn't want to face her. Even if Elsa didn't _know _she would have been doing so.

"Anna..." She rubbed her hands - ungloved, at least - together. "We need to talk about your... friend."

Anna faced her, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay." After everything... She felt no need to make this easy for her sister. However... "She wanted to apologize, by the way. She knows she let her emotions get the better of her, and overreacted."

For all that she wore no gloves, Elsa's emotionless mask was on full display. "Apology accepted," she said carefully. "Anna... Do you know what she is?"

"Yes." Elsa blinked in surprise, clearly not having expected that. "She told me. And I don't care what she says, I am a bad friend for never having asked before now."

_No, you're not._

"No, you're not," Elsa unknowingly echoed. She paused, then hesitantly asked, "Are you sure that... she didn't accidentally influence you not to ask questions? If she's in your mind, after all, and didn't want to discuss something..."

On the one hand, Anna knew, from an objective point of view, Elsa's question was valid. She didn't really know Mara at all, and while Anna knew that she never would have done such a thing on purpose, if she really felt strongly about it, it _might _well be possible that that would have seeped across.

On the other hand... Elsa had just essentially accused Mara of playing with her mind. Her fists clenched in anger. "No. _Mara _would not do that to me. _Mara _is not the one who screwed around with my thoughts and memories. _Is she_?"

Elsa flinched. "You know they only did that-"

"-to save my life, yes, so you said. But it _wasn't _necessary to save my life, was it? Altering my memories, hiding things from me, _lying _to me?! They didn't have to do **any** of that!"

Elsa grimaced. Perhaps Option One wasn't as far-fetched as she'd thought, no matter what the encyclopedia had said. "There's nothing we can do to change that," she said carefully.

Anna closed her eyes for a long moment, straining to hold her temper in check. Elsa didn't deserve to have her explode at her for something their parents and a troll had done, after all. "I know," she finally said, staring at her sister in frustration. "But what they did to me - to _both _of us - was wrong, and you just don't seem to **get** that."

Now Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think? That I didn't spend every minute of those ten years wondering if their approach was going to work, asking myself what I'd done to deserve to have to shut myself away, to not be able to even **touch **another person safely?"

"You know full well that is **not** what I-"

"**Ten years** I had to live with the guilt of what I did to you! I hope to God you never know how it feels, to be swallowed up by fear like that!"

"Because they wouldn't let me **help**!"

_Anna?_

"You couldn't have helped! No one could, then! I really believed I was some kind of mon-"

"Don't you _**dare **_say that word! You have **never** been anything of the kind!"

_Anna!_

"That didn't stop me from _thinking _that I was! You don't know what it was like, seeing you laying there so still and cold, knowing _I'd _done that!"

"It was an accident, damn it! How many times-?"

_ANNA!_

A deafening crack of thunder split the air, loud enough to actually shake the castle and jostle a few things off of Anna's shelves. The sisters simultaneously jumped in shock, then looked out the windows at the clear, blue sky.

"What...?" Anna began, trailing off when she couldn't manage to summon up the words to finish the question.

"I... don't know." Elsa frowned in confusion and uncertainty.

_Anna, _Mara began for the fourth time. _Yelling like that isn't going to solve anything._

"Wait... Mara, was that...?" To say Anna was surprised by even the idea would have been a distinct understatement.

She got the impression of Mara raising an eyebrow at her, but she didn't say anything in response.

Elsa looked equally surprised, though far more unhappy about it. Given that Mara had slammed her into a mirror in a moment of anger, that was understandable. "Since when can she...?"

"This would be the first I've ever seen of it," Anna said, though a moment later she wondered if that was actually true. All those static jolts people kept suffering wherever she went, getting slowly stronger over time... "She's right, though. I shouldn't be yelling at you about this, especially with your coronation in two weeks. I'm sorry."

Thinking about her upcoming coronation immediately distracted Elsa from everything else. "I'm sorry, too. I just..."

"I know. Me, too." Anna hugged her, secretly relieved when there weren't any sparks of static electricity. "Let's just... set all this aside for the time being, okay? It'll still be there once you're Queen."

Elsa nodded slowly. "Okay. That sounds like a plan." Not necessarily a good one, but a plan.

Despite what they'd agreed to, however, neither of them really believed that any Mara-related issues would be all that far from the surface over the next two weeks.

Elsa could only hope that, by then, she'd have some idea of what to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: ** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note:** Right... _Frozen _**was **a musical, wasn't it? Well, not every story _has _to have any songs in it... but this one will. ^_^

Bit out of practice at that sort of thing. Don't worry, I promise I'll do my best to make any future songs blend with the action of the scene.

Lyrics are "Wonder" by Megan McCauley.

* * *

It was amazing how quickly two weeks could fly by.

It was also rather surprising just _how much _was involved in an event like a coronation. The palace staff, so long operating at a small percentage of what it had once been, had not only been (if only temporarily) bumped back up to what had once been normal, it had surpassed it. Rooms that hadn't seen any visitors but an exceedingly bored princess were reopened and cleaned from top to bottom. Great mounds of dishes and servingware were taken out of storage. Sufficient food for the banquet table at the reception was secured.

Elsa had decided against having a formal dinner. Her official reason, if she needed to provide one, was that the various political tensions and rivalries made coming up with an appropriate seating chart impractical, and that it would be far too easy to offend someone by seating their rival first, serving the wrong food... The list went on.

In truth, those who knew her secret knew she simply wouldn't be able to handle that, especially having to sit at the head of the main table, being forced to remain there, all eyes on her. She'd also be on display during the coronation and reception, true, but she'd be able to move, to keep the number of people she interacted with at once down, and to hide - if only behind clusters of guests - if she really needed to.

"You may be the single bravest person I've ever met," Anna decided as she watched Elsa posing in front of a mirror, rehearsing for her part in the coronation one last time.

"That doesn't say much for the palace staff," Elsa commented with false levity, watching the ice generated by her nerves creep up the candlestick and ornament she was practicing with. "Even when I know it's fear that's the problem, I can't..." She sighed, putting the items down on the closest side table in resignation.

"You're doing fine," Anna assured her, stepping closer to give her a hug. "And I'll be right there with you!" She paused. "Okay, standing off to the side, but still, _right _there." It went without saying that where she was, Mara would also be. In the past two weeks, the sisters had done their best to follow Anna's suggestion of setting all Mara-related issues to the side until after Elsa's coronation. Technically, they mostly succeeded in this, but the slight tension in the air made it clear that they weren't very _far _to the side. Elsa's jaw tensed as Anna looked slightly off to her right, head tilted in a by-now familiar listening pose. "Oh, I like that," she said, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Is that a quote?"

For a moment, Elsa debated just ignoring it, as she had the other few times she'd caught Anna talking to Mara over the past two weeks. She was already under enough stress from thinking about being crowned Queen of Arendelle in a few short hours, wasn't she? That felt too much like slipping into her old habits, though - and she would confess a certain curiosity regarding what Mara had 'said'. "What did she say?"

Another now familiar movement, a slight twitch that indicated Anna hadn't realized she'd been speaking aloud. She'd gotten to the point where - with Elsa, at least - that was her only reaction to slipping like that. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to continue in spite of that fear."

Elsa's eyebrows rose. That may have been the single most supportive thing the wraith had ever said regarding her. Well, as far as she knew, anyway. It wasn't like Anna transcribed their private conversations, after all. "Wow."

"I know, right?" Anna beamed. "See? Even Mara thinks you can totally do this," she said, gesturing toward the wall.

By sheer reflex, Elsa's eyes followed the movement... and she went rigid as she noticed that Anna's shadow was moving out of sync with her. "What in the...?"

"Hmm?" Anna looked over. "Oh! That. Well, I thought that it wasn't really fair that Mara didn't have a way of interacting with anyone but me without really straining herself, and I thought you might be happier if you could actually _see _what she was doing, so we've spent the last two weeks experimenting. What do you think?"

Intellectually, she knew she should be careful, that she could easily hurt her sister's feelings otherwise. Still, before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "I think this may be the most disturbing thing you two have ever done."

Anna blinked in surprise, while her shadow rested its hands on its hips, directing what was probably an annoyed glare at Elsa. "I don't think it's that bad..."

"Anna, do you have any idea what would happen if you did this around one of the visiting dignitaries? Or the Bishop?" Elsa asked, trying not to shudder. This was just... wrong, somehow. Shadows were not _supposed _to act like that.

"We weren't _planning _to," Anna countered, frowning. "I'm not _stupid_, Elsa."

"I've never thought you were," Elsa assured her. "But you've had most of your life to adjust to the idea of a disembodied presence. If someone else, even one of the servants, sees a shadow moving about of its own accord..." There would be panic, and shouts about demons and witches, and her precious baby sister would likely be subjected to all manner of barbaric methods to drive out any evil influences and 'purify' her. Chances were, she wouldn't survive it... and if she did, she'd wish she hadn't.

She'd had recurring nightmares about that sort of thing growing up - yet another thing that made her suspicious of Mara, justifiably or not - and it was all too easy to transfer that fear to Anna. Or share it, perhaps, because her fear of her people's possible reaction to her magic had _not _gone away.

"I _know _that." Anna was definitely getting angry, now. "This isn't something we'd do all the time. It really only works when people can actually _see _my shadow, anyway, since she's limited to that."

Elsa couldn't help but doubt that restriction, though she made certain to keep that off her face. "I do appreciate the effort you must have put into learning how to do that." Less so any degree of influence the wraith gained over her sister. "I just... can't stand the thought of anything happening to you, is all."

Anna melted. She never had been able to stay angry with anyone for long, especially her sister. "I know. I feel the same about you, believe me." This, naturally, prompted another hug. Anna barely needed a reason to drag her sister into an embrace most days, claiming she had years of missed hugs to make up for.

Elsa never really minded. "So, I still have a few things to see to, but you... You _can _go into town, you know."

"Oh, I know," Anna assured her. "I will be, in a bit."

"I don't... just mean today," Elsa said slowly. "Just because I'm... not quite ready for something like that, you're not restricted to the palace, as well." She paused. "People won't immediately recognize you today, but in the future, if you go into town, I would appreciate it if you took a guard or two with you." Preferably ones who could distract from or excuse her behavior if she slipped up and started talking to Mara where people could see her, she added silently.

Anna looked touched; her shadow, however, seemed to be a tougher sell, posture conveying that Mara was unconvinced. "But what about you? If you have a... problem, and I'm not around-"

"I'm going to be Queen, Anna," Elsa interrupted. "I can't come running to you to hold my hand every time things don't go exactly right for me. As long as I know that you're safe and sound... I can certainly wait until you get home." If she hadn't spent the last three years soaking up Anna's unconditional love and affection, she knew, things would be very different. She still wasn't what one would consider normal - still suffering from flare-ups of depression and anxiety that, even now, could manage to catch her off-guard - and might well never be... but she _was _doing better.

"...Let's get through today, first," Anna decided. Not that Elsa had really expected her to jump at the idea. Still, Anna would, hopefully, at least be thinking about it, now, slowly getting used to it. As much as she loved spending time with her sister, it wasn't fair - or healthy - to expect her to cut herself off from all other human contact, just for Elsa's sake. Someone as bubbly and vivacious as Anna wasn't meant for that.

And maybe - just maybe - having more people to interact with would mean less reliance on Mara. Something about her just rubbed Elsa the wrong way.

Considering that, when Anna left, her shadow pointed at its eyes, then sharply at Elsa, before melting away and leaving Anna with just a normal shadow... The feeling seemed to be mutual.

She would be so glad when this day was over. Worrying about Anna's invisible friend was stress-inducing enough without everything coronation-related adding to that. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and indulged herself in an emotional release she hadn't dared for years: she sang.

_"Midnight workings, weather down the storyline_

_I try to find the truth between all the lies_

_When Bleeding is feeling and feeling ain't real_

_Will I see you when I open my eyes?_

_Will I see you when I open my eyes?_

_When Breathing's a burden we all have to bear_

_And trust is one thing we're taught never to share_

_Somehow you just seem to shine_

_When loving means breaking and saying goodbye_

_And I can't help but wonder what it is you do_

_You help heal the pain, and the thoughts of the truth_

_You're a question to the universe, a wonder to the world_

_And somehow, when I'm with you, I never get burned_

_Caught in a trap of what we're taught to believe_

_When night overcomes day, life's so hard to perceive  
_

_And the clock keeps on ticking through night-shattered skies_

_Where the stars are all broken, and so are all the ties_

_But the one thing remaining is you_

_When I'm broken and bleeding, you pull me right through_

_And I can't help but wonder what it is you do_

_You help heal the pain, and the thoughts of the truth_

_You're a question to the universe, a wonder to the world_

_And somehow, when I'm with you there's nothing I'd rather do_

_Than be right there_

_To escape my own life and all my fear_

_And I cant feel_

_Am I really real?_

_Come and wipe all my tears_

_Come and wipe all my tears_

_And I can't help but wonder what it is you do_

_You help heal the pain, and the thoughts of the truth_

_You're a question to the universe, a wonder to the world_

_And somehow, when I'm with you..._

_I can't help but wonder what it is you do_

_You help heal the pain, and the thoughts of the truth_

_You're a question to the universe, a wonder to the world_

_And somehow, when I'm with you, I never get burned" _

Maybe she was too close to the situation, she decided. She loved Anna too much to want to upset her, but relied upon her too much to potentially lose her to the forces of darkness. She'd talk to the Bishop after her coronation, she decided. He'd been invited to the reception as well, and it wouldn't be too hard to draw him away from the party for a private conversation. If she avoided mentioning any specifics until she was sure she could trust him to react in a calm, rational manner...

It felt horribly hypocritical to be asking for advice regarding Anna's... situation, while still concealing her own magic, but she knew her father would have checked to see if there was anything the Church could do for her when she was a child. Clearly, she was beyond their help. Anna, however, still had a chance.

And Elsa would do whatever it took to save her sister.

* * *

"Why didn't we do this sooner?" Anna murmured as she slipped through the crowd. Given the occasion, her fancy green dress wasn't nearly as out of place as it otherwise would have been.

She made a mental note to look through her closet to make sure she had appropriately casual clothing for her next visit, whenever that wound up being.

_You refused to be too far away from your sister, should Elsa have any... issues._

Ah... right. She still felt nervous about that, but... Well, Elsa was right. (Not that she wasn't usually...) She _was _going to be Queen very shortly. If she came across as being dependent upon her baby sister, she'd appear weak. Thus, Arendelle would appear weak. And that wasn't something a ruler could allow. So Anna would pull back a little, find other ways to keep busy. She'd just have to trust Elsa to be able to hold herself together until she could get there, should there be any problems. And Elsa _had _spent the last three years proving as best she could that Anna _could _trust her.

Mara remained unconvinced. Though, really, it took a _lot _to win Mara over.

_Not really, _Mara interjected._ You did it just by being yourself. _

Anna smiled happily. It was always nice to hear things like that, and _feel _that she was being sincere. She ducked through a florist's stall in the market - did they always sell their flowers out in the open like this, she wondered, or was this something special for the coronation? - heading for the waterfront. She still had some time, yet, and she wanted to get a look at the boats. The various ships in the harbor had always been these distant, featureless dots. (Except for when she'd been able to borrow Papa's old telescope, before... Well, she hadn't been able to bring herself to touch any of his belongings in a while.) To see them up close like this...

She wanted to know more. She wanted to meet the crews, hear their stories. Granted, travel by sea wasn't her favorite thing to think about, for obvious reasons, but the before and after, where they'd set out from, where they'd gone... She'd never been anywhere but Arendelle. The prospect of learning about other places from people who'd _been there _was enticing.

Mara might well have such stories. But she was trying not to even think about her past, much less talk about it, unless she had to, so Anna hadn't asked.

_I appreciate that. Though, I might be able to tell you about some of the... tamer events in my past._

She couldn't even pretend not to be excited at the prospect - it really was impossible to hide things like that from someone who shared your thoughts. "If you're sure..."

_I am. Now, please, watch where you're going._

"Oh, don't be silly. There's nobody anyw-" Something _very _solid collided with her. "-wahh!" she yelped as she was sent staggering, stepped in a (thankfully empty) wooden bucket, tripped, and wound up sprawled in a small rowboat... which was about to dump her in the harbor.

She had just enough time to think that Elsa would kill her if she ruined her dress and wound up being late to the coronation before something stomped down on the end of the boat, pinning it in place on the dock.

The seaweed that landed on her face, though, she could have done without. "Hey!" she protested as it began sinking in that someone had nearly knocked her into the ocean _on her sister's coronation day_.

"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" Whoever it was _sounded _sincere, at least. She looked up and...

Um... whoa. "Hey!" she said again, in a far friendlier, vaguely embarrassed tone. It would figure that she wound up making a fool of herself in front of the first hot guy she'd met... well, ever. "Y- Uh, no, no, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked as he dismounted his horse... which was oddly yellow-ish, and seemed stockier and more muscle-y than its breed was supposed to be. The man himself was dressed in what might have been some kind of uniform, white jacket making a nice contrast against his blue shirt and pants.

_And the sideburns. Can't miss the sideburns. Pretty sure blind people could notice those._

Internally chiding Mara for her lack of manners - really, they weren't _that _bad - she managed not to stammer as she replied, "Yeah, I just wasn't looking where I was going. But I'm good- great, actually," she corrected as he stepped into the boat to help her up.

"Oh, thank goodness." He extended his hand, which she slowly accepted. "Oh!" he said, eyes widening in a manner she was all-too familiar with from personal experience: that of someone who'd _just _remembered something important. In this case, it was to introduce himself. "Ah, Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles," he said, bowing as best he could in the limited space available.

Mara was less than impressed, but Anna, if nothing else, was determined not to embarrass herself (further) in front of the first visiting dignitary she'd met. That meant no talking to Mara aloud, and displaying manners and courtesy appropriate to her station. "Princess Anna, of Arendelle." A full curtsy was impossible, given their location, but she did her best.

"Princess?" Was it really _that _surprising? Should she have been wearing a tiara or something, to better look the part? She _did _have one somewhere, she thought... Though Elsa hadn't even suggested it once - and as frazzled as she'd been at times as the coronation drew closer, she'd gone over everything enough times that she _would _have - so it must not have been appropriate for the occasion. "My lady!" Hans said suddenly, abruptly dropping to one knee, head down.

His horse, sadly, followed suit. It might have been cute, had that not sent the rowboat tipping over the edge of the dock again. It did realize its mistake and correct it... which only meant that instead of falling on top of each other once, it happened _twice_.

Admittedly, laying on top of Prince Hans wasn't the _worst _thing ever... "Yes," she said dryly. "Truly, dignity and grace are every bit as natural to royalty as people think." Which could have been misinterpreted as a snide comment, she realized belatedly.

Fortunately, he not only got it, but was willing to play along. "Oh, indeed. If my brothers could only see me now, they'd be positively green with envy regarding my poise."

She stifled a chuckle as he helped her up. She was intrigued by the notion of having brothers, though. How many of them were there, she wondered.

_As I recall, a lot. Also, time is fleeting, remember?_

Oh, right. She should be thinking about Elsa's coronation, not remembering being pressed up against Hans' poise.

Well, that sounded dirtier than it should have.

"I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the princess of Arendelle with my horse," Hans was saying. "And for every moment after."

_Yeah, right. __**Sure **__you regret laying on top of her, you-_

"No, no!" Anna wasn't entirely sure which of them she was talking to with that. Remembering - belatedly - that she shouldn't be speaking to Mara aloud in front of strangers at all, she gathered herself as best she could. "That was just an accident, and entirely forgiven." There, that was properly... well, proper, wasn't it? She edged away from him, more from a desire to have solid ground under her than anything. "You needn't trouble yourself about it further." She paused next to his horse, which... was just standing there. She buried a frown.

"You're far too kind, Your Highness."

"Anna," she corrected. He was a prince, so calling each other by title or rank just felt kind of silly. "Hello," she said to his horse, scratching it under the chin the way she'd seen some of the stablehands do over the years when she'd been peeking in on them. It made a pleased, chuffing sound, which troubled her for the same reason she'd been forced to observe the palace horses from a distance, rather than go into the stable herself.

Horses just did not like her.

_Technically, I think the horses don't like __**me**__, _Mara corrected. _They can sense me, but they can't __**see **__me. I'm an unknown, and a potential threat._ She paused. _Admittedly, there have been a few horses in the past that had legitimate reason to avoid me. I didn't hurt them, though._

Which was interesting... But either way, the fact remained that, her or Mara, Hans' horse _should _have been freaking out. Instead, it had no problem with her at all. "I need to get going," she blurted out. Admittedly, just because the _horse _was weird didn't mean _Hans _was... but Mara didn't trust easily - or at all, in some cases - at the best of times. There was too much going on today to include it in that category. "Don't wanna be late for my sister's coronation. Um, I'll see you there? Bye!" With a final wave, she turned and headed smoothly toward the church. She was pretty sure even Elsa would have approved of her exit. Mostly.

There was a splash behind her. A quick look showed that Hans' horse had evidently been mimicking his actions again, because it's hoof was in the air and the boat was upside down in the water, presumably with Hans underneath it.

It was hard to keep a straight face with Mara giggling the whole way to the church.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

For once, Anna was precisely on time.

She politely ignored the surprise this caused the guards... and the servants... and _the Bishop_? (Okay, that one was just insulting, she decided. She didn't think she'd ever been late for church services, before.) Elsa had simply smiled at her - Anna had promised her that, even if she never showed up on time for anything else, she _would _for this, and Elsa knew what her promises meant - and watched citizens and visiting dignitaries file into the church. That was the only reaction she cared about.

As time went on, and more and more people showed up, Elsa couldn't help but become increasingly nervous. Even Anna's presence could only do so much. When she caught her muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Conceal," though, she swatted her arm, reminding her with a pointed look that, not only had that approach not worked, they knew what actually would.

"Sorry. Habit," Elsa whispered before they had to take up their positions in front of the crowd.

The choir was in their loft overhead, singing a slow, dignified, solemn song. It sounded pretty enough, but Anna personally preferred their more lively offerings. She supposed that wouldn't be appropriate to the occasion, though. More's the pity, she thought.

As the Bishop picked up Elsa's crown - which seemed more like a hairpin to her, but she supposed if that was what Elsa wanted (their parents' crowns having been lost at sea with them), she could have it - she took a moment to scan the crowd. There was a stuffy-looking old man that Mara told her was the Duke of Weasel Town-

_Weselton._

Whichever. Oh! There was Hans, sitting in the row behind him, with- Oh, dear. She stifled a momentary urge to snicker as she realized the man sitting next to Hans had fallen asleep, and was using his shoulder as a pillow. Well, at least he wasn't drooling or anything. Still, when he (discreetly) waved at her in greeting, she couldn't help but shoot him a sympathetic look as she gave him a tiny wave of her own in acknowledgement.

She couldn't remember what it felt like to fall asleep leaning against someone like that. She presumed she had at some point, probably with one or both of her parents, but the only thing that even came anywhere close that she could remember was the morning after their funeral, when she'd woken up next to Elsa... and that hadn't been repeated. Hugs were one thing, but her sister didn't like her to be around when she was asleep, just in case she had a nightmare or something, and her magic got away from her while she slept.

Once Elsa had acknowledged Mara was real, asking if she wanted any help with her dreams had gotten a _very _chilly response. Having not grown up around Anna, Elsa's opinion of Mara seemed permanently tainted by what little she knew about her past. Mara, in turn, didn't especially like Elsa, and hadn't actually wanted to help her in the first place.

After that, Anna did her best not to volunteer anyone for anything without at least getting an idea of how receptive they'd be to it.

And speaking of Elsa...

Anna returned her attention to her sister as the crown was placed in her hair (and she wondered if it would actually stay in place, should Elsa let her hair down), and the Bishop held out a pillow with the traditional orb and scepter on it. Elsa, naturally, began reaching for them.

Only to be halted by a discreet clearing of the throat by the Bishop. "Your Majesty," he began softly. "The gloves."

Oops. They'd both briefly forgotten about that little detail, it seemed. Elsa hesitated, looking at her gloved hands. Anna, purely by reflex, took a step closer. She quickly covered by holding out a hand for Elsa to give them to her. After slowly peeling them off her hands, she did exactly that. Anna momentarily placed her other hand atop Elsa's, her eyes and smile plainly stating that she _**knew **_Elsa could do this. Elsa allowed an infinitesimal smile and almost undetectable motion of her head in place of a nod, her own expression conveying love and profound gratitude.

The entire exchange lasted no more than a second.

Elsa turned back to the Bishop and picked up the scepter and orb, then held them up and faced the crowd as he began the traditional chant, the crowd getting to their feet. "Sem hon heldr inum helgum eignum ok krýnd í þessum helga stað, ek té fram fyrir yðr... Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" the crowd repeated. Anna would have liked to acknowledge her sister's new status with them, but she'd been instructed over and over that she was to remain quiet at all times during the coronation itself. Not that she was _entirely _sure what had been said, Old Norse not being a language she knew very well at all...

_The approximate translation would be, "As she holds the sacred objects, and having been crowned on this sacred site, I present... Queen Elsa of Arendelle."_

Really, there were so many benefits to having a translator in her head, she thought with gratitude as Elsa carefully placed the orb and scepter back on the pillow. Elsa even managed to wait until after everyone had begun the trip to the palace to quietly ask for her gloves back.

Anna was so proud.

* * *

One foot in front of the other, Elsa told herself. Be calm. Graceful. Dignified. The worst part is over, after all.

That was debatable, really. Oh, true, she didn't need to take off her gloves again unless she wanted to, and after her announcement at the reception, _everyone _wouldn't be focused on her again. But that hadn't taken very long at all, while the party? That could go on for _hours_.

"Queen Elsa, of Arendelle," Kai announced as she drew near the throne set up on the (slightly) raised dais. That still sounded so _strange _to hear. Wrong, even, in some ways. She'd always known that she'd be the queen one day, but...

It shouldn't have been so _soon_. She didn't feel at all ready.

Though she wasn't sure she would have, had it been put off for another decade or two.

Anyway, it was done. She'd been crowned before God and country. Now she had to lead them to the best of her ability.

"Princess Anna, of Arendelle," Kai continued, gesturing toward the opposite side of the room than she'd entered from. Anna wasn't late, though she was trying not to be obvious about the fact that she was running. Given that they'd come back from the church together, though, Anna had needed to hurry to be in position in time (since protocol dictated they not come in through the same entrance, something she made a mental note to change in the future), so Elsa was willing to let it slide, just this once. Anna couldn't help but wave at the crowd, and, to Elsa's (well-hidden) amusement, an older woman near the front waved back.

The crowd, which had been bowing out of respect, rose and applauded, before going back to whatever dancing or conversing they'd been doing before. "So, this is what a party looks like," Elsa commented. Somehow, it didn't seem quite as terrifying as she'd always envisioned it would be.

"Yeah," Anna replied with a smile. "It's nice, isn't it? Maybe a little warmer than I thought it would be..."

"And what is that amazing smell?" Elsa wondered. They simultaneously inhaled deeply, closing their eyes momentarily as they savored the smell, then chorused, "Chocolate." They shared a giggle, Elsa privately marveling at the fact that they _could_. All those years alone in her room with her fear, she would never even have been _able _to imagine such a thing.

"Your Majesty," Kai spoke up, breaking the moment and bringing her back to the reality that she couldn't just spend the night talking with Anna like she wanted to, she had _guests _to interact with. Whether she liked it or not. "The Duke of Weasel Town," he continued, gesturing toward a short, older man in a dress uniform.

"See? Even he calls it that," Anna murmured under her breath, even as the Duke irritably corrected, "Weselton! The Duke of Weselton, Your Majesty." He was far more diplomatic and respectful by the second sentence, nearly distracting her from her (hidden) amusement at Anna's comment. She'd all but given up trying to get her sister to call Weselton by its proper name, by that point.

That amusement, however, crumbled when she realized with a sinking feeling that Anna hadn't been speaking to her. Or anyone else physically there.

Damn it, she'd _promised _not to do that...

"As your closest partner in trade," the Duke continued grandly, stepping closer, "it seems only fitting thaht I offer you your first dance as Queen." He then launched into an... _interesting_... series of... Could she even call those dance moves? He concluded the, er, display with a deep bow... which had the unfortunate side effect of causing his toupee to peel up and flop down toward the ground, just barely avoiding coming off entirely... and completely exposing his bald spot.

For the second time in as many minutes, she and Anna shared a laugh. This time, though, they muffled it as best they could.

She cleared her throat, and the Duke straightened up, his hairpiece flopping back into place with an audible slapping sound. He was looking at her, now, so she buried her amusement. "Thank you," she said graciously, "only I don't dance."

"Oh," he remarked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"But my sister does," she added mischievously.

"...what?"

"Lucky you," the Duke remarked before energetically leading her - dragging her, almost - onto the dance floor, ignoring her protests. "If you swoon, let me know; I'll catch you!"

"Sorry," Elsa whispered. She probably _could _have danced with him, but that would set a precedent she'd rather avoid - she didn't want to be stuck dancing all night - and besides...

She hadn't had the occasion to tease Anna like that... Actually, had she ever? From what she understood, such things were perfectly normal between sisters.

Watching the Duke's... performance? She couldn't bring herself to call it a dance, exactly. Whatever it was, she was even more glad she'd decided to bow out.

Even if the look Anna shot her at one point promised that she _was _going to pay for it.

* * *

Thankfully, before Anna was forced to endure another 'dance' with the "Chicken with the Face of a Monkey" - and what was _that _supposed to mean, anyway? - she was rescued by Prince Hans very politely cutting in.

"Oh, bless you," she said softly, once the Duke was out of hearing range.

"You looked like you could use some help," he replied with a smile, before sweeping her into a proper dance. After that... They fell into a conversation surprisingly easily. It could have been the novelty of having someone new to talk to, she supposed - that seemed to be Mara's opinion, anyway - but he just genuinely seemed like a nice guy. He didn't laugh at her, even during an embarrassing story (which she would admit to telling just to see how he'd react). He was funny, charming, and knew all too well what it was like to be outshone by an older sibling. Or two. Or... "You have _how _many brothers?"

"_Twelve _older brothers," he confirmed, sounding just the slightest bit annoyed, though not at her. (She knew what _that _sounded like, and this wasn't it.) "Three of them pretended I was invisible - _literally _\- for two years."

"That's horrible." Even when their relationship was at its lowest point, Elsa had never done anything like _that_.

"It's what brothers do," he replied with a shrug, still smiling.

_Smiling while talking about something that distresses him, _Mara observed. _Guess your sister isn't the only one who knows how to conceal things, hmm?_

Maybe not... But, then, she could hardly blame him for not wanting to lay himself bare to someone he'd just met that day.

_Granted. Still, a bit more caution is called for, I think._

It wasn't like he'd proposed, or anything... But Mara did understand people better than she did, she conceded.

So she was a little more careful when talking about anything related to the palace or Elsa, specifically. General questions about Arendelle were safer, though she had to rely mostly on secondhand knowledge there. She lied and claimed she'd been born with the white streak in her hair, not even mentioning the belief she'd once had that she'd been kissed by a troll (which may or may not have been caused by Mara's memories of the event; Anna still wasn't sure exactly when she'd first shown up).

She also claimed ignorance of why the palace gates were closed. She was, however, quick to point out that, really, that only meant people couldn't wander into the palace to talk to the ruler whenever they felt like it. Arendelle still engaged in plenty of trade and diplomatic relations, as evidenced by his presence.

"Then it might be possible to return, for a more lengthy visit, to see you again?"

"To see... me?" Somehow, despite how well they'd been getting along, the question still managed to catch her by surprise.

"Yes, you," he said, smiling. Her heart began beating faster. "I'd love to be able to get to know you better." His expression turned shy. "Maybe even... deepen our relationship."

Deepen their...? Oh! She was momentarily dumbfounded by the realization that Hans wanted to _court _her. "Are...Are you sure you've got the right sister?"

He chuckled, never breaking eye contact with her. "Absolutely."

_The bastard's smooth, I'll give him that._

Mara's comment was like ice water being dumped over her head. "I'll, ah, need to discuss that with Elsa, of course..." She was the Queen, now, after all, in addition to being her big sister and, technically, legal guardian. Like it or not, this was a decision she needed to be involved in.

"Of course," he agreed readily. "I don't sail back to the Southern Isles for another couple of days. Perhaps tomorrow, you could show me around Arendelle?"

"Okay!" she agreed immediately, then winced (mostly) internally and added, in a more controlled voice, "I'd like that, actually." It would give her the chance to explore her own kingdom's capital - hopefully, she'd be able to at least project the illusion of being knowledgeable, rather than ignorant and sheltered - and having a real flesh and blood person with her should make Elsa happy.

_And having one who's also interested in courting you might make her __**insist **__on the guards._

Hmm. There was that, she supposed. But maybe that could be a good thing. Whatever guard or guards accompanied them would surely know about Arendelle, right? They could do whatever explaining was required.

Conversation stayed light after that, though they somehow still found plenty to talk about. It was only when she caught sight of the distant clock tower in town - barely visible from the palace balcony they were standing on - that she realized how late it must have been. "Oh, I've taken up your whole evening, haven't I?" she asked with a wince. "I'm-"

"Ah!" He held up a hand to stop her. "Don't you dare apologize. I can't imagine a more pleasant way to spend the evening than this."

She blushed. She'd never had anyone talk to her like that, and she had no idea how to handle it. Which wasn't to say she didn't like it. "You're too kind. Still, if we're going to be spending the day together tomorrow, I should find Elsa and let her know now."

"Of course." He bowed, then took hold of her hand and kissed it softly. "Until tomorrow, then, Your Highness."

Her blush, which had almost gone away, returned with a vengeance, and her initial reply consisted mostly of stammering and giggles. She shook her head, focused as best she could, and tried again. "Until then, Prince Hans." Much better, she decided as she headed back inside the palace.

She'd only gone a few steps before drawing to a halt. Mara was _squirming _inside her in a way she'd never felt before, and she had no idea what to make of it.

_Don't speak, _Mara said urgently before she could ask anything. _Just... wait. Something's here. Something... familiar._

Somehow, she just knew Mara didn't mean the good kind of familiar, either.

So she waited.

* * *

Hans waited a full minute, until he was sure Anna was completely out of earshot, then stood at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the railing as he stared out at Arendelle. It was a quaint and lovely, if modestly sized, kingdom. He could rather get used to it, he thought. "You're sure?" he said softly, not looking behind him.

He knew what he'd find, and it wasn't something he enjoyed looking at.

"Entirely," a hissing, distorted voice replied. "Arendelle's new Queen definitely possesses some variety of elemental magic."

"Powerful?"

"It must be. Some time ago, a wraith was dispatched to this land to... investigate. It suddenly stopped reporting in, and all trace of it vanished."

His eyebrows rose. To kill a spirit - which sounded rather redundant to him, frankly - as a child... And her power would only have grown since then, presumably. "So, what should we do?"

"Continue with your present course, for now. The young princess should provide the opening we need to get past the Queen's defenses."

"Works for me. She is a rather charming young lady."

"As you say. But do not lose sight of our goal."

"Please. Remember who you're talking to." There was a rumble overhead. He looked up to find the sky, which had been fairly clear earlier in the evening, had clouded over. "Hmm. Hope that doesn't ruin our outing tomorrow."

The creature behind him was silent, attention elsewhere.

* * *

Anna felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. She'd thought he'd really liked her - and he _did _seem to, actually - but the whole time, he'd been plotting to get close to Elsa to... to...

To _what_?! And what **was **that... _**thing**_... that was out there with him?

_Anna, get away from them, now!_

But she couldn't just let Hans and that - was it some kind of goatman? A gargoyle-esque creature, maybe? - plot against Elsa like th-

_ANNA, PLEASE!_

She was in motion before the words had finished. She'd _never _heard Mara sound so panicked before.

The creature poked its head inside, as if it had heard - or sensed - something, but by then, there was nothing to be seen but empty hallway.

Anna managed to wait until they were in an entirely different wing of the palace before she spoke up. "They were talking about _you_, weren't they?"

_...yes. As I told you, I am not proud of my past._

And from what she'd overheard, Mara clearly _had _defected from whatever evil that creature - and evidently Hans - worked for.

She felt sick. If she hadn't heeded Mara's paranoid instincts, for once...

_It isn't paranoia if they actually _are _out to get you, is it?_

She supposed not. But Hans... How _could _he be working with... whatever that was?

_It's understandable. Thirteenth son of a king? He'd have few other methods of acquiring the kind of power he's no doubt been raised to seek._

No, she was _not _going to sympathize with him.

_Nor am I. I simply understand his reasoning. He's a fool if he expects any kind of equal partnership, though. Right now, though, we need to find your sister. _

"I'll say," Anna agreed anxiously, increasing her speed.

_I was hoping... But I suppose I was fooling myself, thinking I could escape this._

"You're not alone, though. Not anymore." Whatever it was that Mara was running from, if they had to face it, they would do so together.

One way or another.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

* * *

The newly crowned Queen Elsa had to admit, the evening wasn't going quite as badly as she'd feared it would. Admittedly, that was hardly a challenge, given the various nightmare scenarios she'd thought up over the past few years. Still, all in all, she was fairly pleased with how the night was progressing.

Even if she was starting to feel overwhelmed from being around so many people at once, after so long isolating herself.

Anna was nowhere to be found. After the "dance" with the Duke of Weselton that Elsa had pushed her into - and she knew she'd be paying for that later - Elsa had last seen her dancing with an attractive-looking man she hadn't recognized, though she was fairly certain, based on the glimpses she caught of his clothing, that he was from the Southern Isles. At least she'd been enjoying herself, from what Elsa had seen.

She deserved it. After devoting so much of her time and energy to helping Elsa hold herself together, it was past time she focused on her own wants and needs.

Which wasn't to say Elsa didn't think someone should be chaperoning the two of them.

Someone beyond a violently protective wraith, anyway.

"Your Majesty," someone behind her spoke up.

Here we go again, she thought as she turned. She'd let this go on for a bit longer, she decided,. then she was going to call it a night and close the gates. "Bishop Peder," she said in greeting. Peder Tandberg had been the Arendelle's bishop for longer than she'd been alive, which would have afforded him a certain level of respect even if she hadn't known that her father had liked and trusted him, as well. If that trust had extended to bringing him into the circle of those who knew about her secret... That, she didn't know. She could ask, she supposed. But carefully, just in case he didn't know.

If he didn't... Well, she'd all but talked herself out of her plan to discuss Mara with him as it was. That would just decide things for certain.

"Your father would be proud of you, Queen Elsa," he told her warmly.

"Thank you. I would certainly like to think so," she replied seriously.

"I'm quite certain of it," he insisted. "I know that you've faced... _unique _challenges, growing up."

Which certainly _seemed _to indicate he knew about her magic. If he did, and had no problem with it... Well, that would help explain _why _her father had liked the man. "I think, perhaps, that would be a matter best discussed in private?" she suggested carefully.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Relocating to her study did, if nothing else, get her away from the party and all its guests, which certainly helped her state of mind. And she needed every bit of calm she could get for this conversation. Talking about this with those she knew well - Kai, Gerda, even Anna - was hard enough. This was the first real conversation she'd _ever _had with the Bishop. "What did my father... tell you, about me?" she asked carefully.

"He did, as you've likely guessed, discuss your abilities with me," he confirmed.

No, steady, be calm, she told herself. If he's known all this time, he's clearly not about to condemn you. She thought about Anna, focusing on the warmth of the love she had for her little sister.

There wasn't so much as a stray snowflake.

Allowing herself, just for once, to feel a bit of pride in her accomplishments, she asked, "And you're okay with this?"

"Were it up to me, I would not have placed such a large burden upon you at such a young age. But then, He does work in mysterious ways."

She blinked. In all her imagined scenarios of how the Church might react to her magic, the idea that they'd consider it Heaven-sent had never once occurred to her. Given what she'd done... She couldn't bring herself to accept it. Still, if the Bishop believed that, then she supposed she'd have a fairly powerful ally, if or when she finally revealed the truth about herself to her people. "I shall defer to you about such matters," she said diplomatically.

"I regret that I was not able to better assist you in dealing with that burden, Your Majesty. After your parents' funeral... I should have tried harder to see you, despite your servants insisting it wasn't necessary."

"I wouldn't have opened the door for you," she admitted. "Even Anna..." She chuckled. The loss, that day... It still was not in any way enjoyable to think about, but with everything that had come since, she couldn't quite help it. "She made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that, after the day she'd had, if I didn't open the door, she _**would **_break it down." And knowing her sister, she really would have, too. She wasn't sure she deserved Anna's love... which was actually a step up from being _convinced _that she didn't, now that she thought about it.

The Bishop smiled. "That certainly sounds like something she would do, from what your father told me of her."

That was probably the best opportunity she was going to get to smoothly segue into a conversation about Anna's invisible friend. She knew that. She knew she should take it, that she _needed _an outside perspective. Bishop Peder was as calm and accepting a choice as she could hope for.

She just... couldn't do it. Mara might well be lying to Anna - she could have been doing so all along - but Elsa just couldn't bring herself to cause Anna that kind of pain, even if it _would _be for her own good. She didn't think that spoke very highly of her as a Queen _or _a sister, but there it was.

Instead, she asked, "Is there anything I should be aware of, regarding the people? You would have a better idea what they might need that I might be able to provide."

So they sat down to discuss the state of affairs in Arendelle, and Elsa did her best to set thoughts of Mara aside, while enjoying the break from the party, focusing on the Bishop's words.

Something told her that the reprieve would be a short one.

* * *

It was the laughter that first made him realize there was a problem.

It wasn't that laughter, in and of itself, was something he found unusual during a party. Far from it. But he had been discreetly exploring the palace, and the section he was currently in should have been empty.

A quick glance around the corner showed him a maid talking to another guest. Not the one he'd been looking for, but the few details he'd had time to take in suggested a servant, or staff member. He needed to get closer.

Silently, he slipped into the nearest room. It wound up being a bedroom, indicating he was in the living quarters. Or near them, anyway, as it was devoid of any sign of inhabitation. A guest room, then? Either way, that meant no one around to need to make excuses to. He headed for the far window, opening it as quietly as possible and looking out. As he'd hoped, there was a ledge running along the wall. (Gust rooms, evidently, did not get balconies.) He climbed out onto the ledge, grateful that this side of the palace was facing the ocean, so it was unlikely he would be spotted as he crept slowly along. As he'd hoped, the window closest to where he estimated the maid and unidentified guest were was also unlocked, and he carefully eased inside, shutting the window and creeping toward the door. He knelt down in front of it, peering through the keyhole.

As expected, he was right across from where the giggling maid was standing. He couldn't quite see the other man from where he was, but he supposed you couldn't have everything. If nothing else, he could hear them perfectly, now. Their conversation seemed perfectly normal, at first, just a man flirting with a pretty maid. Yet, his instincts told him something was very wrong.

He was quickly proved right when the man placed a hand on the maid's face, and she abruptly stopped laughing, or speaking. Or blinking, for that matter, simply staring straight ahead. "No, my dear, you're going to answer a few questions for me, understand?" the man - or whatever this being _actually _was - asked.

"Yes," the maid replied, monotone.

"Good. Now, what can you tell me about your new Queen?"

"She was born on-"

"No, stop." A brief flash or irritation. "I mean currently. Is there anything... unusual... about her?"

"I don't know. There are rumors. We're not supposed to ask why she never used to come out of her room. No one talks about it."

"What rumors?"

"Some people think she has magical powers."

Their unknown listener raised an eyebrow. That was interesting, and something to look into later. If she'd been locking _herself _away, though, chances were she had nothing to do with the forces of evil, and his orders (thankfully) did not include eliminating _potential _threats.

"Who'd know details about that?"

"Kai or Gerda, perhaps. Princess Anna, for certain."

"Well, how fortunate for us that young Hans is set on seducing her, then," he remarked, and the listener grimaced. He'd thought the creature's outfit looked familiar - it had originated in the Southern Isles, along with intended target, Prince Hans. The young prince's flirtations with the forces of darkness had come to The Order's attention some time ago, but clearly things had progressed further than anyone had thought, faster than he would have guessed.

The prince, it seemed, was not quite as patient as he liked to pretend he was.

He was so distracted by that revelation, he almost missed what was said next. "Is there anything worth noting about Princess Anna that might help in her seduction?"

"After she got Queen Elsa to come out of her chambers more frequently, she spends most of her free time with or near her. I don't think she has any other friends, though from what I've heard, when she was a child, she used to play with another girl named Mara."

The man whipped around abruptly, stalking closer to the hapless maid - and finally coming into view of the keyhole, allowing the Listener to see his golden eyes. A minor demon, then. Luckily, its shapeshifting was confined to a single human appearance, or it would be even more of a headache than it already was due to the mental abilities it had. Not outright control, thank goodness, but it could plant ideas that got people to do what it wanted, anyway, and, as evidenced by the poor maid, place its victims into trances. "Mara?" it asked sharply. "When was this?"

"When she was a child. No one's spoken of her in years."

"Then this Elsa _is _the one." The remark was obviously not addressed to anyone. The demon tapped her on the forehead, and she staggered back, looking confused. "I think I've taken up enough of your time," it said smoothly. "I'm sure you have duties to attend to elsewhere." It pivoted on its heel and walked off, leaving the shaken and bewildered maid behind.

On the other side of the door, the listener sat back, mind racing. He wasn't sure what was going on in Arendelle just yet, but it was clearly worse than his superiors had imagined. He had a sneaking suspicion that it probably required more than one agent to handle, but even if he sent off a request for backup that second, it would probably be too late before the dispatch reached the closest other field agent (Lucas, down in Denmark, if he recalled correctly), let alone before any help could arrive.

Well... He was going to have to improvise, then. It might well mean another chastisement from his superiors, who did _not _approve of when he did such things, but better that than any innocent lives lost.

The maid had moved off by this point, so he was free to exit into the hall and head back toward the party. He was sure he'd seen the Bishop from the coronation there at one point. With luck, he still was, or at least someone there would be able to point him in the right direction.

Hopefully, he wouldn't have to rely on luck.

* * *

She didn't want to admit it, but Anna was starting to get freaked out.

She hadn't been able to find Elsa, but she had run into Henrik Lunde, the Trade Minister. Deciding it was best to warn as many people about Hans as she could, she'd blurted out the whole story (minus anything Mara-related). She'd expected horror, she'd expected shock, she'd even expected disbelief.

She had _not _expected outright dismissal. "Don't be ridiculous, Princess. Prince Hans is a man of sterling character. We're lucky to have him here."

Nothing else she said made a dent, so she'd moved on, confused and hurt by the whole thing. When she saw Anders Holstein, the Prime Minister, she tried again. And was dismissed again.

With the exact same words.

The exact same thing happened with Harald Nordberg (whose first name she finally remembered), Minister of Finances. And the Minister of Agriculture. And the Minister of Labor. And the Captain of the Guard.

Exactly the same response.

Every.

Single.

Word.

It took all of her etiquette and composure lessons to keep from giving into panic. "What are we gonna do?" she whispered desperately as she walked along the edge of the ballroom as casually as she could manage.

_If we can kill the demon, its hold on its victims will be released._

"Assuming it doesn't direct them to kill _us _first?!" And assuming they even _could _do that. Not that she even wanted to think about killing _anything_, really.

_I doubt it'll have been able to override their loyalty to the royal family, especially the Queen. If Elsa orders them to stand down, they will._

"Unless it got to her, too," she breathed, giving voice to her greatest fear.

_No. It requires physical contact to influence people, which she would avoid. I'm fairly certain her magic would render her immune to anything especially overt, in any event._

She was? Why? Because... Because they'd originally sent a wraith?

_I wasn't given any explanations, only orders. But... I couldn't get in. I tried - I wanted to understand her - but her magic kept me out._

Well, that was... good? Whatever, she'd worry about it later. Right now, though, between Hans, his demon buddy, and all the compromised government officials, there were too many things going on at once to keep track of, even with Mara's help. What she needed was some help of her own, someone Hans wouldn't suspect, and the demon wouldn't have gotten to.

"Ah, Princess! Come for another round, have you?"

Well... Desperate times called for desperate measures? If nothing else, the Duke of Weasel Town had already established he was curious about Arendelle and what went on in it, so him asking more questions shouldn't raise _too _much suspicion.

_I'd rather anyone else be helping us, too. But, you know, if you're going to ask him for help, you might want to at least get the name of his Duchy correct._

Oh. Well... There was that, she supposed. "Your Grace," she said, summoning up every last shred of diplomacy she had left in her just then. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me. It involves Prince Hans, and a rather... unsavory associate of his."

"Oh?"

"Yes." So, once again, she explained. This time, though, her audience took her seriously.

A little too seriously.

"I knew there was something unnatural about that boy," he muttered darkly. "Consorting with demons? Engaging in sorcery?"

"Well, the first one, anyway." She didn't like that he evidently included _all _magic in the same evil category. "I mean, I know there's good magic out there. My aunt in Corona would have died during her pregnancy, otherwise. To say nothing of my cousin."

He seemed mildly chastised. "Ah... Yes, I suppose that's true. Still, though, something needs to be done about Hans!"

Now that was a subject she could get behind. "Right. I need to find Elsa, and let her know about all of this. I need you to keep an eye on Hans, but _don't _let him know that you're onto him."

_Only you could manage to channel his bigotry against the supernatural for the side of good._

She didn't think he was _that _bad, really. Just ignorant. Besides, he was a diplomat, right? Surely he would fool Hans into thinking he was safe to ignore.

"Not to worry, my dear, my acting abilities are second only to my skills on the dance floor!"

_Oh, yeah. This is going to end well._

Anna... wished she could disagree.

* * *

There was a knock at the door to her study.

Elsa frowned. One of the servants would have announced themselves by now, and any guard that had something important enough to tell her wouldn't just be standing out there. One of the guests, perhaps? They shouldn't have been allowed to leave the ballroom unescorted, certainly not far enough to get to her study, but she supposed it was always possible one of them had snuck past the guards' watchful eyes. Was this sort of thing what it had been like for her father, when the gates had been open?

If so, she couldn't say she regretted their being closed, now.

"Yes?" she called warily. She and the Bishop had been in the middle of discussing setting up a charitable fund for ice miners injured in the course of their (admittedly dangerous) work, and she wanted to get back to it.

The door opened, revealing...

She had no idea.

He was tall, and probably only a few years older than she was, if that. His complexion suggested he was from Spain or Portugal. His hair was carefully trimmed and styled. His eyes were dark...

Her cheeks tinged just the faintest shade of red. And far too easy to fall into.

She... supposed he was attractive... if one went in for that type.

His formalwear also wasn't out of place, despite being nothing special, as far as suits went. "I apologize for intruding, Your Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. "I was hoping to be able to speak to the Bishop about a matter of some urgency."

Bishop Peder rose to his feet, Elsa following suit out of a mix of courtesy and wariness of the visitor. "What is the nature of the situation, my son?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "I suppose I may as well tell you now. Queen Elsa has a right to know, as well, since it involves her sister."

Elsa's stomach began to tie itself in knots.

"My name is Carlos Araya, and I'm a member of the Order of Saint George. I need your help."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note: **We finish up "things hitting the fan" week with Frozen. What could happen if we're not following the movie's plot? Well, you'll see...

* * *

Elsa stared at the visitor - Carlos Araya, as he called himself - and asked, "I'm sorry, you're a member of what, precisely?" She'd never heard of anything called 'the Order of Saint George'.

Bishop Peder, however, clearly had. "I was not aware that the Order had any operatives in this country."

Elsa's eyebrows rose. 'Operative'? She wasn't sure what one of those should look like, but... She didn't think this was it.

"We don't. That's why I need your help." Then, in response to Elsa's earlier question, added, "The Order of Saint George has existed since the end of the Dark Ages. Simply put, we stand between humanity and the forces of darkness. We hunt down the monsters, creatures, and demons that pray upon the innocent. That's what brought me to your kingdom, Your Majesty."

Calm, Elsa told herself urgently. She had to stay calm. If he'd meant her, he wouldn't be standing there, explaining, would he? "How so?" Could... Could he be talking about Mara? How would this Order of his even have _known _about her?

"Unfortunately, there are always those who are seduced by the powers of darkness. The reasons for succumbing are legion, but the result is always the same." Oh, God, he _was _talking about- "In this case, Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles."

...wait, what?

"What?" she asked aloud.

"In some ways, it wasn't a surprise. With twelve older brothers, and any 'suitable' marriage prospect taken, there was really no way for him to legitimately gain the level of power and influence he and his brothers were raised to think they _had _to achieve. We make a point of keeping watch on such individuals, and attempt to prevent any such contracts from being made. Unfortunately, we were too late in Hans' case."

"What is it that you need from me?" Bishop Peder asked.

"And what does any of this have to do with Anna?" Elsa added anxiously. Yes, her sister had a wraith living in her head, but... That didn't count, did it? Mara didn't seem to want anything from Anna beyond friendship... Or if she did, Anna had never said anything about it. What could...?

Wait.

Hans. Anna had been dancing with Hans. Anna had _disappeared _with Hans! What did the bastard - with thirteen sons, she was sure the title was accurate, if impolite, regarding a number of the brothers - want with her baby sister?!

"As I've said, I'm operating alone here," Carlos told the Bishop. "And the situation is far worse than my superiors had believed." He went on to describe the encounter he'd overheard between one of the maids and the minor demon - she could still hardly believe where this conversation was going - and Elsa's stomach knotted further. The idea that some creature was moving about her palace, twisting the minds of her people to suit its whims... Part of her was disbelieving. Part of her was terrified.

And part of her was _furious_.

"But they weren't planning on doing anything to Anna?" she interrupted at one point, seeking clarification.

"I do not believe so, no. From what it said, the idea was to let Hans seduce her himself."

For once, Mara's overprotectiveness was a source of comfort. "He won't get far."

"The only other oddity in the conversation was the mention of someone named Mara."

For a moment, she was sure she hadn't heard that right. "E-excuse me?"

"I don't understand why it found that significant, either, Your Majesty," he admitted. "There's a Mara in traditional Buddhist belief. He's supposedly a demon that personifies evil, and the fall from a spiritual state. The word mara also means "bitter" in Hebrew. Neither of which seemed terribly... relevant"

"Mara's a girl," she agreed. "Or she was, according to Anna. She was only five, at the time." Imaginary friends were common for children that age, so hopefully that would be enough to let the subject drop, before-

"Mara is also mentioned in local folklore," Bishop Peder said, much to her dismay. "A wraith that causes nightmares."

"The demon seemed to take mention of her as proof that you _were _the one they were seeking," Carlos told her, watching her closely. Too closely. She could feel the ice in her veins, itching to be released. "Something to do with the rumors of magical powers, perhaps...?"

Her control nearly slipped.

"I can assure you that you and your Order have nothing to fear from Queen Elsa," Bishop Peder interjected. "Any gifts she may have would have been bestowed on her from the Father, and she is not the type to misuse them."

Carlos looked at him for a long moment, Peder calmly meeting his eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "Given what I had overheard, I had presumed Her Majesty was not a threat. Still, confirmation is always helpful."

"That's it? Just... You're fine with it? Just like that?" Elsa knew she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but she couldn't help it. So many years of paranoia about not letting anyone know about her magic wouldn't let her simply accept it and move on.

"I know when I am being lied to, Your Majesty," Carlos told her evenly. "And while this is the first time I've had the honor of meeting him, I _have _heard of the Bishop. His word can be trusted."

That, at least, was something she could agree with. "So... What are you going to do about Hans?" she asked, trying to get the conversation back on track... and away from Anna's questionable friend. "And anyone the demon may have affected?"

"If I can kill the demon, they'll be released from its hold. Unfortunately, it knows that, too, so isn't likely to come out where I can get a shot at it unless forced. I have a few blessed amulets that might be of use in combating any dark influences someone might be under, but only a few, and I don't know if they're too unspecific or not to be of help." He turned to the Bishop. "If there were anything you could do that might counter the demonic influence, Sir, it would be most appreciated."

"I will do what I can, certainly."

"Before you do anything, I think it would be best to end the festivities and close the gates," Elsa decided. "If nothing else, it would keep this... demon... from getting its claws into anyone else. I can post a discreet watch on the vessel from the Southern Isles, to let me know if anyone comes or goes."

Carlos nodded. "That sounds like a plan. After that, I think it would be best to start our efforts with your sister."

She twitched. "Why?" she asked, a bit sharper than she needed to. "You said Hans intended to seduce her himself."

"He does, but if the demon concludes that she's the best chance they have of getting to you, they may not care about his pride or ego."

"You don't know my sister."

"With influence of this type, Your Majesty, it doesn't matter how stubborn someone is. It physically affects the brain."

"Yes, but Anna-"

He waited, but she didn't finish her sentence. She didn't dare. The only thing she could say would involve Mara, and while knowing if a wraith could shield Anna from being controlled was important... She didn't know enough about this person, yet, to trust him with that kind of knowledge. Unless things became far more desperate...

"Let's just wait and see. She may well not even have come across Hans' "friend". Before anything else, I need to go announce the party's over."

He seemed wary, but agreed. Oddly, that made her feel slightly better about him. After all, he didn't know _her_, either, so instant trust on his part would have seemed suspicious to her. She could worry about him later, though.

Before anything else, she needed to know Anna was okay.

* * *

"Where _is _she?" Anna grumbled as she slipped back out of the ballroom. She'd first thoroughly searched there, where Elsa was _supposed _to be. A subtle inquiry told her that Elsa had evidently gone off to her office-

_Study._

-whatever. Her _study_, then. She'd gone to her _study _for a private meeting with the Bishop. That sounded promising to Anna, since she was sure the demon wouldn't have even _tried _going after Bishop Peder. Mara wasn't so convinced of that, but agreed that gaining influence over him wouldn't have affected the government of Arendelle in any way, which seemed to be the goal with the others. Upon checking her study, she'd found that if Elsa had been there, she wasn't anymore. A passing maid told her that she'd seen the Queen heading toward the ballroom. Anna had thanked her politely and turned back the way she'd come. It was fairly late, she supposed. Elsa was probably letting everyone know the party was over, and closing the gates. She'd probably been aching to do so for hours.

For once, Anna agreed with the sentiment completely.

Granted, the Captain of the Guard being (however subtly) mind controlled meant that Hans could probably come and go at will, he'd have to at least leave for the night along with everyone else. He'd be back in the morning, expecting to take her out on the town, but that would give her plenty of time to talk to Elsa and figure out what to do.

Or it would, if she could actually _find _her sister, who had vanished almost immediately after making her announcement. Supposedly, she was heading back to her study.

So, Anna would try again. If Elsa wasn't there again...

Well, she was going to start getting upset.

_Royally upset, even?_

"Oh, very funny," she muttered, ignoring the palace staff going about the cleanup process as best she could.

_It'll be okay, _Mara told her. _They don't know that __**we**__ know, which means we have the advantage of surprise on our side._

"We still need a plan, though." There was no one in this corridor, so she felt safe enough speaking to Mara aloud.

_Your sister could probably kill the demon with her magic, if she tried. After that, Hans can just be refused entry and sent home._

The hard part there, of course, would be getting Elsa, who'd lived in fear of hurting anyone with her powers for so long, to deliberately use them offensively. It would probably be easier to kill the thing with a bow and arrow that she had no idea how to use, because Mara had refused to let her learn.

_You were __**six**__, Anna. The bow was too big for you to even hold._

Details, details...

_And if she's still meeting with the Bishop?_

Well... That would make things harder, as she didn't know how to explain knowing what she did without being able to say that Mara had told her. And she knew that the Church would just lump Mara in with the other supernatural creatures as 'evil'.

_With reason, if they know anything about me at all._

"Knew," Anna corrected. "They might have known things about you, but I _know _you **now**." They were linked on a deep, fundamental level, after all. She could tell that, if Mara had been in any way evil before, she wasn't now.

Irritable and violent, sometimes, but not evil.

_Thank you, Anna. That... You don't know what your support means to me._

Well, she had an idea. Deep connection, and all.

_Heh._

Now, then. She was almost to Elsa's study, so she needed to figure out how to broach the subject of Hans carefully. Her sister could still be a bit... twitchy... when it came to supernatural events, her own trauma coloring her view of them. Or that was how it seemed to Anna, anyway. She didn't want to start a fight, especially when they needed to focus on Hans and his demonic friend. Or friends. Where there was one, there could always be more. According to Mara, even minor demons could have minions.

As it turned out, Elsa was still meeting with the Bishop. However, there was another man there that Anna didn't recognize.

Elsa looked up as she entered, an oddly relieved expression on her face. "Anna! Thank goodness."

Okay, she could do this. She could _SO _do this. "Elsa," she began slowly.

"We need to talk about Prince Hans," they said together. Both sisters blinked in surprise. "He's consorting with demons," they chorused. More confusion. "How do _you _know that?"

"Your Majesty," Bishop Peder interrupted. "Princess Anna."

"W- I heard him," Anna said, before Elsa could speak again. She went on to - again - describe the conversation she'd overheard, and listed off the people she'd tried to warn. "Every one kept telling me the _exact _same thing, word for word," she finished.

"We _are_ doing something," Elsa assured her, though she looked troubled at the list of officials that had been affected. She was standing next to her desk, while Anna was in the middle of the room. Bishop Peder and the as-yet-unidentified man were standing off to the side, and the stranger's presence was making Mara uneasy. Anna felt much the same. "Right now, I'm more worried about you."

"I got out of there before he - it - even knew I was there," Anna said. "Now, I've been patient, but _who is that_?" She pointed at the unknown man.

"I apologize for my lapse in manners, Your Highness," he said, bowing. He had a nice voice, she'd give him that. "My name is Carlos Araya, with the Order of Saint George."

She felt Mara flinch inside her, and took a step away from him by pure reflex.

"Anna?" Elsa asked, concerned.

This wasn't going to help convince them that she hadn't been mind whammied, she knew. She sent Mara a silent inquiry.

_The Order of Saint George are, basically, monster hunters. Protecting humanity from the forces of darkness. Which is fine... unless you happen to __**be**__ one of those forces. They'll see what I am, and not care about if I've changed or not. Which... I suppose I can understand. Pretty much any other wraith they encountered __**would **__need to be killed._

"I don't remember seeing your name on the guest list," Anna said finally.

"At the moment, he's here as _my _guest," Elsa said before he could reply. "I think you can see why."

"I hope so," she said softly.

"You understand, Princess, that the amount of time you spent alone with Prince Hans is concerning," Carlos said, apologetic but resolute. It was an interesting combination she wasn't sure she could have pulled off. "It's possible that his ally could have influenced you without your knowledge."

"No, it isn't," she said without thinking. A frantic whisper from Mara made her add, "I would have noticed being touched by anyone else, believe me. Unless you're saying it could let Hans use its power, somehow...?" She'd wondered about that earlier, but Mara was certain it would have never shared its power like that. This arrangement kept Hans far more reliant upon it.

"No. It wouldn't want to do that, even if it could," he unknowingly agreed. "But whatever it's after here in Arendelle, it's bigger than just helping Hans secure the throne. If that was all it wanted, it would have been far easier to arrange an 'accident' for a monarch somewhat closer to home. Instead, they came all the way here. And evidently not for the first time."

"Huh?"

"He overheard the demon interrogating one of the maids," Elsa said, giving her a warning look. "The name 'Mara' came up."

Um... Uh-oh. "Mara?" she echoed faintly. "Well... That brings back memories."

"That's what troubles me, Your Highness."

_Definite _uh-oh. "It does?"

"As I understand it, there's a wraith in this part of the world by that name."

"Of course, there are also _people _named that," Elsa added. Anna appreciated that, but didn't like the conflicted look on her face.

"Very true," Carlos agreed. "Wraiths also cause nightmares... or worse. In any event, I have something for you, Your Highness." He pulled a necklace out of one of his pockets, with an amulet of some kind on it.

She could sense Mara trying to recoil from it, leaving her feeling off-balance. "Pretty sure Papa would have quite a bit to say about me accepting jewelry from strange men," she said, making no move to take it from him.

Elsa chuckled faintly, apparently unable to help it. "Maybe so, but this one will help us make sure Hans' friends - or fiends, as the case may be - didn't get to you."

What was she doing? Elsa knew full well why that wouldn't have been able to happen. "I already _told _you that they didn't."

"And if there were one of them that could do it _without _touching you?" Elsa shot back. "How would you know?" She gave her a level stare.

_Or, in other words, you can take the amulet, or you can explain why you're so sure, and have them__** force **__the amulet on you._

Anna grimaced, but didn't see any alternative. She accepted the necklace from Carlos, feeling a vague tingling in her fingers when she turned over the amulet to look at it. "Who is this?" she asked, looking at the engraved image on one side of it.

Stalling? Maybe. But she was also curious.

"Saint Benedict of Norcia."

_Then the letters on the other side would be the Vade retro satana. _Anticipating Anna's next question, Mara continued, _It translates as "Go back, Satan" or "Step back, Satan". It's a Medieval Catholic formula for exorcism, recorded in a 1415 manuscript found in the Benedictine Metten Abbey in Bavaria and its origin is traditionally associated with the Benedictines. Last I knew, the formula was being used to repel any possible evil thing or happening, as a "spoken sacramental"._

"So, I put this on, and... then what? You'll finally believe me? I've never lied to you, Elsa."

"I know. But... You might not have seen what you thought you saw."

"Excuse me?" she asked sharply, eyes narrowing.

"One of them - a spirit or wraith or some such thing - might have made you see something that wasn't really there," Elsa said carefully, more because of concern about Anna's temper than their visitors overhearing. "It's happened before, as I understand it."

Oh, she was _not _suggesting...

_Anna? Calm down._

That sounded familiar.

Not wanting to trigger another random thunder crash - they'd _never _see Mara as friendly or harmless then - she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I can't believe you just said that to me," she said softly. Unable to find any reason to keep stalling, she slipped the necklace over her head.

It felt like she'd had a crushing weight dropped onto her shoulders.

She staggered back, clutching onto the nearby chair to keep from collapsing completely. She was having trouble breathing, her heartbeat was thudding in her ears so rapidly it was almost one constant single sound, she felt freezing cold and burning hot by turns, and worst of all...

She couldn't hear Mara.

"What... What..." she gasped out. What was this? What was happening to her?

"Anna!" Elsa was crouching next to her in a flash. (She had no idea when her grip on the chair had failed and she'd fallen to her knees.) "What is that thing doing? Get it _off _her!"

Anna heartily agreed with that sentiment. She just couldn't get the words out.

"It's not doing anything to _her_," Carlos said, crouching down next to Elsa and catching her hand when she tried to reach up to snatch the amulet off of Anna. "It _can't_. For a reaction like this... Even mind control wouldn't explain it. There would have to be a separate entity present. Bishop Peder, what would you require to perform an exorcism?"

"No," Anna choked out before anyone else could come up with a reply to that statement.

"Anna, _look _at what's happening!" Elsa pleaded. "I know you think she's your friend, but this proves she doesn't have your best interests at heart."

"Elsa..." There was an amazing amount of hurt squeezed into that one word. How could she...? She'd promised-

Well, okay, no. She hadn't ever promised not to say anything about Mara. In fact, _she _was usually the one trying to get _Anna _to keep quiet about her. Even so... "It's... a necklace," she forced out with effort, ignoring the pain on Elsa's face. It was her own fault. "It can't tell... someone's heart..."

"It's a Saint Benedict Medal. It probably _can _tell intent. This may be our only chance to get her out of you. I'd be more comfortable with her if she wasn't hiding inside you the way she is."

"Mara, I take it?" Carlos asked.

Elsa hesitated, then admitted, "Yes." Anna's reaction to the medal had already blown any hope of secrecy out of the water, so there was little point in denying it.

There was more conversation going on, but Anna stopped listening. All she focused on - all she cared about - was stopping the blasted amulet - or medal, or whatever they wanted to call it - from hurting Mara. She tried to pull it off, but even _touching _it hurt. Okay, then, they'd do it the hard way. As far back as she could remember with any clarity, Mara had always been there. She _knew _what the connection between them felt like, and she knew it was still there. She didn't think she'd be feeling like she was having a heart attack (she presumed, anyway) if it wasn't. Focusing inward, she reached along it, gradually becoming aware of Mara doing the same.

Elsa, still at her sister's side, became aware something was amiss when wisps of smoke began drifting up from the medal. "Anna?" The smoke became more obvious, and the medal began glowing with a dull heat. "Anna, what's-?

There was a burst of light and sound, sparks and tiny chunks of metal flying from the amulet, and Anna was finally able to take a deep breath, pulse steadying.

As happy as Elsa was about that, her heart sank when she realized what else it meant.

"What- That's impossible!" Carlos objected. "No wraith can do something like that!"

"Not alone, maybe," she realized, looking at her sister. Anna still had her eyes closed, and was probably reassuring herself that Mara was okay... but she did not seem in any way happy.

Slowly, deliberately, Anna pushed herself to her feet, pointedly taking a step away from Elsa. When she opened her eyes, the pain and rage there made Elsa take a step back of her own. "How _could _you?" she asked angrily. "You know - you _know_! - that she's my best friend, that she was the only thing that held me together all those years while you shut me out. She's proven over and over that she has my best interests at heart. She insisted we warn you about Hans and his allies, even knowing how bad it would make her look - and believe me, if she were making me see or hear things that weren't real? She'd be casting herself in a better light." She shook her head. "But none of that matters to you, does it? God forbid the freaking _Snow Queen _be wrong about something!"

Elsa winced, not even caring that Anna had let her own secret slip. Bishop Peder had already known, and Carlos had been aware she had magic, if not any specifics. "Anna, I'm trying to help you!"

"Maybe I don't _want _your help." The hairs on the back of Elsa's neck began standing up, and there was a faint ozone scent in the air. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time she and Anna had argued, and knew that this time, Mara wouldn't be likely to restrain herself to a mere thunderclap to get their attention.

Her skin prickled, and she knew there was no more time to talk. "Get down!" she yelled, throwing out her hand and covering the far wall and window in a thick sheet of ice.

Ice that promptly exploded as a lightning bolt as thick as a ship's mast slammed into the palace, blowing in her study wall in a hail of ice fragments, glass shards, and stone debris.

When the crack of thunder finally faded away, Elsa looked up, shocked, taking in the devastation. More importantly, though, was the fact that her study door was hanging wide open, and Anna was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note: **Now, there is a song in this chapter, but I'm not gonna tell you which one just yet. Instead, if only to surprise you a tiny bit, I'll list the song and artist at the end of the chapter, instead.

* * *

"Anna!"

The word tore its way free of Elsa's throat in a ragged shout. She didn't feel it. She didn't feel any of the minor cuts or bruises that being knocked down and pelted with debris had caused. She didn't even feel her usual reflexive desire not to attract unnecessary attention. All she felt was an overwhelming _need _to find her sister. She pushed herself up, gritted her teeth as she forced aside a momentary surge of lightheadedness, and started toward the door.

"Queen Elsa, wait!" Carlos. He grabbed her arm, heedless of the magic he'd _seen _her display. He was brave enough, she'd give him that. Not very bright, though, if he actually thought she was going to stop. "You can't just run after her."

"I think you'll find that I can," she snapped.

"Not alone, and not without a plan."

"I think _you've _helped enough!" The temperature began dropping. "You couldn't leave her alone, could you? You had to keep pushing!"

"And with good reason. You yourself intimated that the wraith within her might have been manipulating her, creating illusions of appearance or seeming."

"I wasn't thinking-"

"And you are now?" he interrupted. She couldn't remember the last time someone - who wasn't Anna, anyway - had done that to her. "If you just run out there, shouting for your sister, you're liable to get another lightning bolt thrown at your head." He gestured toward the hole in the wall.

"She wasn't aiming at anyone," Elsa disagreed. "She was just hurt and angry, and was lashing out." However she felt about Mara, she didn't believe she would have risked attacking anyone standing so close to Anna in such a manner. She shook her head. "This is pointless. We have to find Anna before she does something foolish. With demons and mind controlled government officials about, it would be far too easy for her to get into trouble."

"And the wraith?"

"I imagine they'll be together," she said dryly, pulling her arm free of his grasp and heading for the doors. They only had a little time before servants came running to investigate what must have sounded, to them , like an explosion.

"That is not what I mean, and you know it."

She sighed. "Mara's been with Anna since she was five. If that demon was as surprised by her name being mentioned as you say, then chances are she's hiding, for whatever reason."

"Perhaps. It is also worth mentioning, however, that in centuries of recorded encounters with wraiths, _none _of them have _ever _hinted at any control over the weather. If that's a side effect of bonding with a host for so long... We can't let them get their hands on her."

Oh, wonderful. Because, clearly, she hadn't had _enough _to be worrying about, yet. "I think that's what I've been saying this whole time," she said archly. For very different reasons, but as long as their goal was the same, she'd let him tag along. For now, at any rate.

She'd barely gotten into the hallway before running into the crowd of servants she'd been expecting. She quickly assured them everyone was fine - pulling the door to her study closed behind her to keep them from seeing the damage for the time being - and sent them on their way. Kai and Gerda, however, she enlisted in helping her find Anna. She impressed upon them that Anna was distraught, and calming her down was a priority, after which they should get word to Elsa as to her location.

She knew that the hole in the castle wouldn't go unnoticed for long, assuming it hadn't been seen already. A massive lightning bolt was difficult to miss, after all, especially at night. She would eventually have to deal with that. And she would.

Later.

More pressing, however, was the fact that, if she was right, and Mara _had _been hiding, she'd just loudly - _**very **_loudly, in fact - announced her presence to anyone who'd know what to look for. She'd be running. And Anna, hurt and confused, would naturally want to go with her.

She had to hurry, before she lost Anna for good.

* * *

_Anna, where are you __**going**__?_

"I don't know," Anna admitted as she ran down one of the halls. In the back of her mind, there was the thought that Elsa wouldn't like it that she was running... which only made her run faster.

No more. No more lying, no more pretending, no more _concealing_. All that time she'd spent arguing with her sister to give up her 'Conceal, Don't Feel' approach, and all the while, Elsa had insisted that she conceal her best friend from the world.

_And rightly so. You have no idea the things I've done in the past... or the enemies I've made. If my existence was widely known, you would have been in danger._

Well, after that lightning bolt, everyone would certainly know _something _was here, if not who or what.

_Yes... I know._

She didn't like the sound of that.

_Anna... _Mara began slowly.

"No."

_Anna, you have to realize..._

"No!"

_I refuse to put you in danger._

"All my life, you're the _**only one **_who's never left me," Anna replied, fighting back tears. "You can't go now."

_Do you think I want to? But I could lead them away from you._

"No. I told you, whatever comes, we'll face it together." She burst through a door that lead outside, onto the castle ramparts... and skidded to a halt before she ran into the person standing there.

Which, she realized a moment later, was silly of her, as the person in question was Mara, meaning no one was _actually _standing there. "Anna, you're not thinking," Mara said urgently. "If you run like this, when they _know _I'm here... You won't be able to come back from this. They'll assume I've corrupted you, somehow."

"Then they'll be wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things."

"And your sister? Anna, all your life you've wanted to get your relationship with her back, and you've finally achieved that. Don't throw it all away now. I'm not worth that."

Anna stared at her, aghast. "Yes, you are! Don't ever say things like that!"

"No, I'm not. I've told you, Anna, you have no idea what I've done. Some things... I hope you never do." She sighed. "Listen to me. Just... say you're sorry. _You can still be with your sister. What you've worked and waited for. You can have all you ever wanted..._" It might have been because of her connection to Anna, but she'd unintentionally started singing her words, if only a little. Neither really paid that sort of thing any attention, anymore. Anna had always loved to sing, after all. It was something she and Elsa had once had in common.

"I know," Anna acknowledged softly. It didn't matter, though. If only out of habit, she slipped into song, as well. "_But I don't want it- No. I can't want it, anymore..._" She looked out over the fjord. "_Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. Too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes, and leap! It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity. And you can't pull me down!_" This was sung while pointing at Mara, then she spun about and started walking along the castle wall.

Mara shook her head and followed her, singing, "_Can't I make you understand? You're having delusions of grandeur..._"

Anna knew better, though. She was finally standing up for herself, and for Mara. No matter how anyone else felt about it. "_I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change, but till I try, I'll never know! Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost. Well, if that's love-_"she yanked the ruined amulet from her neck, breaking the clasp, and threw the wretched thing on the ground. "_-it comes at much too high a cost! I'd sooner buy, defying gravity. Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity. And you can't pull me down..._"

"You don't know what you're saying..." Mara's resistance was clearly waning. As much as she hated the thought of letting Anna do something she _knew _she'd regret, she couldn't deny that, over the years, she'd preferred it when it was just the two of them, and Elsa was a non-factor.

And Anna knew it. "_Unlimited... Together we're unlimited. Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been. Dreams, the way we planned 'em..._"

She knew she shouldn't agree to this, but if Anna was so dead set on it... Maybe it would be possible for her to make up with Elsa later on, after all? Once everything was settled? If not... "_If we work in tandem..._"

If not, she'd keep Anna safe. No matter what.

Together, they sang, "_There's no fight we cannot win. Just you and I Defying gravity With you and I Defying gravity..._"

"_They'll never bring us down!_" Anna boldly declared.

"This is insane, you realize."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But I don't care." The sky rumbled overhead, and a fog bank had encircled the castle. Good, she thought. That would help mask their escape. Clearly, she and Mara were on the same page on this. How far did the whole weather thing go, anyway? Was it just lightning and (evidently) fog, or was there more to it? Wraiths, she was fairly sure, could fly on their own, but if Mara was anchored to her, they'd have to try something else. If it worked...

This would be _so _much fun.

"Princess Anna!" Gerda called from back the way she'd come. She turned to see the servant hurrying after her, a guard disappearing through the door into the castle. Going to fetch Elsa, no doubt.

No time to linger, then.

Anna dashed along the wall, only slowing when she got to a spot where she could climb up onto the edge.

"What are you thinking?" Mara asked her warily. She was far too familiar with Anna's impulsive nature to believe there was a fully formed plan in her mind, but hopefully there would be at least a vague idea.

This was the longest in a while Mara had maintained the illusion of a physical presence. Maybe, once they were finally away from prying eyes, she'd be able to do so more often. "I already told you," she said simply. The fjord partially lost in the fog, but she could clearly see the North Mountain off in the distance. That would be far enough away from the castle - and Arendelle - that Elsa would be able to deal with Hans and his 'friends' without Mara being placed at risk.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?"

She couldn't be upset with the woman. Not really, anyway. Any secrets she'd kept from Anna, it was because she'd promised the King she wouldn't say anything. And a promise was a promise. "I'm leaving, Gerda. And you're not going to stop me."

Poor Gerda. She obviously had no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, Anna didn't have time to explain. She couldn't take the chance that Elsa might risk using her magic to prevent her from leaving, or that Carlos whatever-his-name-was had something else up his sleeve that might hurt Mara. She wasn't sure she'd be able to get away from them again.

There was one thing she could do, though. One final nod to the fractured bond she and her sister had shared. She could make it clear to Gerda (and anyone else who might come along before she got away) that she was acting alone. She could tell Mara understood and approved of the plan. She even let her illusory body vanish to help her remember which pronouns to use.

And if Mara _was _with her on this...

She lifted a foot and set it down on the fog... which shimmered where she stepped, feeling for all the world like a solid surface. With a giddy smile, she pushed herself up _onto _the fog, taking several steps away from the castle. The fog actually didn't extend far enough to cross the fjord, she saw, but it did at least stop Gerda from following her. Besides... She had a better idea, if Mara could do it. "_So if you care to find me, look to the Northern sky! As someone told me lately: 'Everyone deserves the chance to fly!'_" Even as she sang the last word, the wind surged under her and lifted her up into the air. This, she decided, was easily the most **amazing **thing she and Mara had ever done together. "_And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free! To those who'd ground me, take a message back from me._" Why just hover, she decided, when they could _fly_? She let the wind sweep her along in time with the song, diving, gliding, swooping, climbing... She didn't think she could ever get tired of this."_Tell them how I am defying gravity! I'm flying high, defying gravity! And soon I'll match them in renown! And nobody - no master of laws, no Snow Queen that there is or was - is ever gonna bring me down!_"

With that, she let the wind carry her off into the fog, toward the North Mountain. And for the first time in forever...

She was _free_.

* * *

Elsa stood frozen in the doorway out onto the wall, staring in stupefied amazement as her sister flew away. _Flew_. She didn't even know what to say in response to that.

Knowing Anna, she was probably _loving _it.

She didn't bother asking if that was normal or not. Carlos had already made it clear that he'd never heard of a long-term bond between a wraith and a human before, so by definition, it _couldn't_ be normal, could it? The wind picking up had drowned out a lot of Anna's song - she doubted anyone not out on the wall had heard it at all, which was just as well - but she'd caught enough to pick up on the gist of it, and it made her heart hurt. She wanted to try and make it up to Anna, to make things right, but how? What could she say or do that would fix this?

She had no idea. Her thoughts kept getting stuck on one part of Anna's song, the words repeating over and over in her head:

_...no Snow Queen that there is or was..._

She wasn't sure when Anna had developed that less than flattering nickname for her - this was the second time she'd used it while angry, so it couldn't be _too _recently - and right then, she didn't care. She was more focused on something else. 'No Snow Queen that there is or was'? _Was? _She had done a great deal of research into attempting to ascertain the origin of her magic, as had her father before her. It didn't exactly run in the family - being the Royal Family, they had detailed records on all relatives, close or distant. She wasn't the first, the illustration in that old book her father had gotten from his study the night she'd hurt Anna proved that. (She suspected he'd been quietly looking into the matter ever since her magic had first manifested, but prior to that, it hadn't been a priority.) Unfortunately, it didn't provide any details, and a question to the trolls before they'd left them that night had made it clear that they didn't seem to know, either.

She'd never even considered asking _Mara_.

The idea that an answer she'd been looking for her whole life might have been right there, the entire time...

Well, she'd already decided she had to go after Anna. All this meant was she'd have one more question to ask when she caught up with her. Them. "Have my steed waiting for me in the courtyard," she told Gerda, then turned and headed back inside at a rapid pace.

"Your Majesty," Carlos began behind her.

She could guess what he was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it. "I'm the only one who has any chance of talking her into coming home, and if you even suggest using force, our garden will be getting a new ice sculpture."

"You cannot simply leave while anyone who might be in charge during your absence is under demonic influence," he continued, unphased.

"You'd better start handing out those amulets, then."

"And where are you going?" Because even he could tell this was not the way to the courtyard.

"To change. This is hardly appropriate attire for horse riding, after all."

"I would ask that you not leave without me." Before she could object - and she was going to - he pressed on. "If the wraith is exercising her abilities so blatantly, she's running. Which means it's all too likely she'll be chased, and you have no combat experience."

That... was true. She had her magic, yes, but even thinking about using it against someone brought up images of Anna laying there, still and cold. Monsters and demons weren't the same as her little sister, so should the need arise, she would _probably _be able to fight them. She hoped.

But she wasn't going to stake her sister's future on maybes. "You'd better hurry then, hadn't you?"

Anna already had a decent-sized head start, and it was getting bigger by the second.

* * *

The lyrics in question are, obviously, a somewhat modified version of 'Defying Gravity', composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. So I suppose it's somewhat ironic that the character _not_ voiced by Idina in the movie got to sing it here. ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note: **To make up for no update last week (holiday + Black Friday = screwed up writing schedule), you get another song here, this time a Mara solo: "Myself", by Fireflight.

* * *

While Anna had originally planned on just flying right to the North Mountain and seeing what she found there, common sense - or, more accurately, Mara - had prevailed, insisting that she at least stock up on provisions, first. Unlike her sister, Anna was _not _immune to the cold, and if she simply flew up to the snowy peak, there would also be a distinct lack of food or shelter.

"You sure know how to suck the fun out of things, sometimes," Anna decided as they landed in the forest. As much as she loved flying, she would admit a certain level of relief to have solid ground under her feet again.

_We are not having fun, _Mara replied flatly. _We're running away._

"You were all for it at the time," Anna pointed out defensively.

_I know. And I'm not suggesting we go back. After being with you for so long, though... Running like this feels cowardly. Even though I know I couldn't win a straight-up fight, and that luring them from Arendelle is what's best for the people. It's the only thing that I - that __**we**__ \- can do, but it doesn't feel good._

"...yeah, I know." She'd been trying really hard not to think about that. Or that she'd essentially turned her back on the only life she'd ever known. Or that she had no real plan for survival, let alone the future.

_Once things settle down, and the Order's agent leaves, you should be able to go back and sort things out with your sister, _Mara told her.

"I don't want to think about Elsa right now, either." She sighed, picked a random direction, and started walking. It was summer, at least, so for the time being, she was perfectly comfortable in her dress.

Her shoes, however, were not exactly meant for a walk in the woods. As such, she had to be careful about where she stepped. It was dark, but Mara could see just fine, which meant that she could, too.

_Turn right. There's a shop ahead, a ways._

Anna obediently changed directions. "So... Can I ask what you were originally supposed to do with Elsa?"

Mara hesitated, then brought forth the illusion of a physical presence again. The moonlight wasn't making it through the trees very well, but Mara was able to make it _seem _like the forest was being perfectly illuminated by it, and her curly raven tresses shone in the illusory moonlight. "I was supposed to investigate, discover whether or not she had the kind of elemental magic that she does, and report back with my findings." Which Anna had more or less already known.

She just couldn't help thinking there was more to it than that. "That's the only reason you were sent here? Really?"

"I wasn't sent far. I've always lived in the Scandinavian region, as far back as I can remember."

That brought up a whole new avenue for conversation, which Anna immediately seized upon. She often wanted to ask Mara about herself, and her past, but usually restrained herself, knowing how uncomfortable such questions made her. If she was voluntarily opening up about it... "How long is that, exactly?"

Mara shrugged. "Hard to say. I didn't exactly measure time the way you do. Really, as a wraith, keeping track of days would have been utterly pointless. It would also have been rather difficult, lacking any kind of clock or calendar."

"Oh. I, um, suppose that's true..."

"No, you are not being foolish," Mara said, not even letting the thought fully form before she shot it down. "Given how long I kept my true nature from you, how could you be expected to know how I existed before? I did sometimes note certain alignments of the stars repeating, certain human celebrations or ceremonies coming and going. In the beginning... I was little more than a mindless hunger. I had certain knowledge, certain instincts, that told me how to feed, and when to withdraw. Over time, though, I slowly began noticing things. Understanding what the images in the nightmares I created were. I became _aware_. And after that, I became aware of the one controlling me. Controlling _us_."

"Who are you-"

"No," Mara interrupted. "Do not ask me. I will not speak its name." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, "I do not want it to hear me."

"But you're in my head. How could it-?"

"_No_, Anna. All you need know is that... it's _**evil**_. Pure and utter evil, incarnate. Wraiths do not _need _to inspire nightmares to sustain themselves. I've lived with you for thirteen years without giving you any, after all. It has us do so because it _likes _the fear we evoke. And it... It can make _us _like it, too," she admitted, sounding ashamed.

Anna was stuck somewhere between seeing red and feeling sick. "And... whoever or whatever you're talking about, it wants Elsa?"

"It wants her power," Mara corrected. "It doesn't care anything about your sister, herself, except possibly enjoying her suffering. Or it would, if it had someone relaying it."

"But you couldn't get in." They'd come to a halt, Anna staring at Mara, uncertain how to feel, while Mara herself stared at the ground, looking quietly miserable. It would be easy to be upset at Mara... but she couldn't. She'd just said, after all, that this thing - the Greater Spirit she'd said as little as possible about while explaining her true nature for the first time, no doubt - could _make _her feel what it wanted her to. If it had wanted her thinking that possessing Elsa was a good idea, she likely wouldn't have been able to think otherwise.

"Not the way I did with you, no. If I'd tried, I might have been able to influence her dreams to some extent, and either way, I could have continued reporting back my experiences... but I didn't. I'd been watching the two of you for some time, before the night of your accident, and I just... couldn't."

Anna hugged her. It had been a while since she'd done so, since Mara was seemingly physical enough for her to, but it felt comfortable and familiar enough that it might have been yesterday. Unlike in the beginning, Mara was much more at ease with such physical contact now. Only now, Anna was finally beginning to understand why such warmth and affection had seemed so alien to her at first: they had been.

Something occurred to her as she pulled back. "You were there? When it happened?"

Mara hesitated, then admitted, "I was... not, no." At Anna's look, she added, "One of the maids... I was hungry, and..."

"I get it," Anna told her. "It's okay. You didn't know any other way to be, then."

"No," she agreed. "I didn't know anything was wrong, at first. You and your sister playing, unobserved, so that she could use her magic, was hardly unprecedented. I'd been stalling, by then, claiming I needed more time to be certain she was the one they were looking for. If I didn't _watch _the two of you, I wouldn't _know _if she was or not. But then came the shouting, and the fear... I could have felt that from the other side of the castle. When your parents took you to the trolls, I followed."

"The trolls..." Anna had almost forgotten about them. "I wonder, could they help us with the whole demonic mind control situation?"

"They do have some experience with mind magic... as you yourself know all too well."

"Right." Really, they kind of owed her for that, didn't they?

"Let's give your sister and that Order man a chance, first, before we start bringing anyone else in on this."

Mara obviously wasn't thrilled about that idea, and Anna thought she knew why. "Don't worry, if we do go talk to them, I won't let them do anything to hurt you, or try and separate us."

"I know. I'd just... rather not start any new fights, if it can be avoided."

"Neither do I." Not that she really knew how to fight.

"I do, if we have to," Mara told her. "Though doing that _with _someone would be a whole new experience." And not one she was looking forward to.

"Right. So, in the meantime...?"

Mara resumed 'walking', Anna keeping pace with her. "As I said, in the beginning, I was mostly a creature of instinct. When that began to change... My earliest memories of things beyond feeding are shadowy images of what might have been vikings, though by the time I was aware enough to have coherent thoughts, they were long gone. It may have been a remnant colony, I suppose. Even they're gone now, though."

Anna stumbled for a second before recovering. Mara had stated that she'd existed before she and Anna had first met, yes, but not that she'd been around for so long. "You know," she finally said, "you don't _look _terribly Scandinavian." With her wild mane of black, curly hair, and her dark, dark eyes, had anyone but Anna been able to see her, she would have instantly stood out in any crowd.

"I know," Mara said with a shrug that easily conveyed how little that bothered her. "I suppose I could if I really wanted to, but when I let people see me, this is what I look like. I suppose I might have picked it up during my travels."

"What travels?"

"I told you that I've lived in this part of the world as far back as I can remember, but that doesn't mean I never left. Sometimes, I was... recalled, I guess you could say, to where the evil dwells." She pointedly didn't say where that was. "Then, one time when I was traveling home, I overheard someone discussing a 'fourth crusade'. I didn't even know what a crusade _was_, let alone why it was evidently happening for the fourth time, and... I was curious. I knew I wasn't supposed to, that I should have just gone home, but I decided to investigate. Of course, it might have helped if I'd had any idea where the Crusaders were, or where they were going."

Anna stifled a laugh as best she could. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. Though, I suppose it's just as well. As I understand it, had I known where to go, all I would have found was blood and violence. Instead, I ultimately wound up in Milan. It was so strange to me, so different from what I knew, but I still thought it lovely. I was content to explore for a time, but I did eventually get homesick... and I could never shake the fear that I would be discovered, and punished. Willfulness, independent thought... They were not exactly encouraged. So I went home, and if anyone knew about my... detour, they didn't seem to care. But I'd gotten a taste of something new, so I started to wander. Up and down Scandinavia, from beyond Arendelle to far south of the Southern Isles. I started paying more attention to the people, not just looking for those who were most susceptible to my nightmares. I learned how to tap into their knowledge of languages, writing, mathematics... I began asking questions. And every time I was summoned to- Well, _there_, I made sure to give myself extra time both ways, so I could make other detours." She sighed, looking down. "It was the questions that started getting me into trouble."

Anna didn't like the sound of that. "What kind of trouble?"

"Not the kind you're thinking, exactly," Mara assured her. "Asking questions was one thing, questioning the authority of- Well, let's just say I was smart enough not to make _that _mistake. But that was the problem: I was smart enough. Mindless creatures that were little more than tools or weapons to be turned loose when needed, hungry spirits that cared for nothing but their next meal? He - _it _\- could call them forth at will. One that could think? Could plan? That displayed evidence of any kind of tactical knowledge? That was another story. I started getting _specific _assignments. Specific _targets_. And I... I carried out my instructions. I had to. I was being watched _carefully_, especially at first. It didn't really bother me, at the time. I mean, wraiths aren't exactly high up there, in the hierarchy of the supernatural world, so to be afforded actual responsibility...?"

"I get it." She did, too. She knew what it was like to be dismissed as useless and inferior by many for most of your life, then have someone - Elsa, in her case - who began trusting you to handle things.

"Also... Well, everything I'd learned was mainly judged in importance by how it affected _me_. I mean, there isn't exactly any kind of camaraderie among the forces of evil... which is where I was."

"You are _not _evil!" Anna protested.

"Anna, both the Church and that book of your sister's mentions me _by name_. That isn't a coincidence. If the Order of Saint George had many agents stationed in this part of the world, Mister Araya would have known who I was, too. I was very, very good at my job, because I didn't care."

"Well... Like you said, there wasn't anyone around you could have learned how to be otherwise from," Anna managed.

"No," Mara agreed. "Not until I met you. When I came to Arendelle... Before my awakening, I have no idea who - or even what, for that matter - I would have fed on. Afterward... I never thought anything of it, but I tended to target adults, or teenagers at the youngest. I had no real experience with children. I'd seen them, yes, but they were never my focus. The bond between you and Elsa, the loving sisterly relationship... I didn't know what to make of it. Your sister had no idea where her magic came from, or what it might grow into, but she didn't care. It was just part of her, and she accepted that. And you... In all my travels, I've never met anyone quite like you. You have so much love in your heart, even now, even after everything you've endured. All that loss, all that tragedy, yet you've never stopped being optimistic, caring, and determined. In truth, I started paying more attention to you than I was Elsa, even though by then I'd _seen _evidence of her magic."

"Me? Really?" It wasn't that she doubted Mara, exactly, or that she hadn't known pretty much since the beginning that Mara liked her better, but the thought of her outshining Elsa in any possible way was so foreign to her that she couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, you," Mara replied. "You still don't understand what you did, do you?" Really, she decided, there was only one way to get through to Anna about this: in song. She didn't usually sing by herself - well, she never did - but if that was what it took... "_You turned a page inside my heart, brought the light when my world was so dark. I feel something I can't explain. You consumed me and took on my shame." _She didn't **need** to start dancing, did she? Make a big production out of the whole thing? She hoped not. That might distract Anna from her words, and she needed to pay attention to them. Closely.

"_Everything is gone that held me down, your arms are around me. All the pain has left my selfish heart, and your love it surrounds me._"

"You're not selfish," Anna told her softly. "You've never really asked for anything, in all the time I've known you."

Which was kind of the point... "_You woke me up, and made me learn to love more than myself. You took my hand before I knew there was more than myself._"

She stopped, placing her hands on Anna's shoulder, meeting her gaze squarely. She needed to be sure Anna **got** this. "_Eyes opened wide, I see your face. For the first time I'm not in my way. A love like I have never known. A veil is lifted, now I'm not alone. Everything is gone that held me down, your arms are around me. All the pain has left my selfish heart, and your love it surrounds me. You woke me up, and made me learn to love more than myself. You took my hand before I knew there was more than myself._"

Anna, eyes glistening, told her, "You **won't** be alone, either. Not as long as I'm here. Neither of us will."

Mara smiled. Finally, comprehension. Time to start wrapping this up, then. "_Now that I know, I've finally found my home. This life is not my own. Whatever we go through, I will follow you._

_You woke me up, and made me learn to love more than myself. You took my hand before I knew there was more than myself. You woke me up, and made me learn to love more than myself. You took my hand before I knew there was more than myself._"

Anna hugged her again. Really, she had no choice. Once she stepped back, she cleared her throat, unobtrusively wiped at her eyes, and said, "Okay! We should... totally go find that shop you mentioned before."

Mara smiled at her fondly. "Yes, I think that would be-" She abruptly broke off, stiffening, and began looking around in sharp, jerky motions.

She'd picked up on something, Anna realized, stomach clenching. Something she didn't like. Was it the demon? A minion? Hans? Should she remain still? Resume walking like nothing was wrong? Start running? Maybe she should-

"Get down!" Mara shouted.

Or that, Anna thought as she promptly dropped to the ground. That worked, too.

Something sailed through the air her body had been occupying, snarling as it missed her. Her first impression was a jumble of fur, fangs, and claws - the latter two of which seemed far bigger and sharped than they had any cause to be. Was it a wolf?

No, she saw as she hurriedly pushed herself to her feet. It clearly was not a wolf. Wolves were not bipedal. They were also not seven feet tall, and certainly did not have glowing red eyes. "What in the world...?" she blurted out, taking an instinctive step away from it... only to freeze when its attention abruptly sharpened at her movement.

She didn't need to look to see that Mar had let the illusion of a body go, though she was maintaining Anna's night vision. _I think... It may be an aufhocker._

"Um, bless you?"

Mara didn't even make a dry remark like she usually would have, which would have told her how bad things were even if the snarling beast wasn't looking at her like she was about to be its dinner. _It's a shapeshifter. Mentioned in German folklore. I've never encountered one this far north. Hans' "friend" must have brought it. The name aufhocker means "leap upon." This is because according to legend, the aufhocker would leap upon the back of the victim before biting their throats. In most cases, the aufhocker is considered to be a very dangerous theriomorph that tears the throats out of humans. The connection to attacking victims in the throat is what links the aufhocker to vampirism. They don't really have an identifiable shape. It's known for taking on the form of animals and in some cases, human beings in order to fulfill whatever duty it sees fit._

She had no real idea what a 'theriomorph' was - though given the context, she supposed she could guess - and was too busy freaking out to give any real thought to her mention of vampirism, which may or may not have been real. She could worry about that later. Right now, she just wanted to know what they were going to do about the thing. She doubted it would just keep standing there and growling indefinitely.

_The aufhocker can not be killed, as far as I know, _Mara told her, making her heart sink._ In vampire mythology, sunlight and church bells are often used to frighten vampires. These defenses are also linked to the aufhocker._

Great. They didn't have either of those.

_I know._

Maybe it **wasn't** actually immortal? Maybe it just took care not to let the knowledge of what could hurt it spread?

_Even if that was true, I still wouldn't know how to kill it._

They had to do **something**.

_We can fight, but I don't know if we can win._

They definitely wouldn't if they didn't even **try**.

_True._

Then there was no more time to talk, because the aufhocker was leaping at her again, slavering jaws opened wide to tear out her throat.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note:** Seeing as how most wraiths in fiction (as far as I know) don't seem to have actual combat tactics - and they don't seem to even _exist _in Disney (wraiths, I mean, not combat tactics) - I've had to look outside any Disney-related media. In this case, the video game _Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor_. You can find all manner of clips and Let's Plays on YouTube, in case you want or need a visual aid regarding some of the tricks Mara's about to learn.

* * *

Time seemed to slow down.

Even as the aufhocker's leapt at them, Mara was estimating its likely trajectory, trying to recall every hint of a weakness she'd ever heard about theriomorphs in general and aufhockers in particular, futilely wishing for a split second that it was a werewolf so that they could just kill it with silver, realizing there was no point to that thought since they didn't _have _any silver, and trying to think of anything in their environment they might use to their advantage.

Were Anna's thoughts able to be properly articulated, they might best be summed up as: 'Waaahhhhh!'

Before anything else, Mara decided, she needed to get Anna out of the way. She focused on a point past the aufhocker, and... **moved**. Anna wasn't quite sure what had happened. One second, she was looking death in the eye, then in a flash, Mara had somehow bypassed the creature, dragging Anna along with her. "What the-?"

_No time to explain, _Mara told her tersely. _We have to keep moving._

Anna couldn't argue with that, though she did think they'd be able to move more effectively if she knew how they'd done... whatever that had been. The aufhocker was already rebounding from its second failed attack, having only gotten angrier. Whatever reason it had paused before, it wasn't doing so now. "Um, you said you knew how to fight?"

_Yes, but to fight a more physical threat like this-_

"Mara!" She threw herself to the side, kicking out as she did, knocking the aufhocker away more due to luck than any kind of skill. She wasn't going to be able to keep doing this on her own, though.

_Okay, okay! _Mara sounded somewhat flustered, reminding Anna that she had no prior experience with this kind of joint combat, either. _I think I can... Just don't resist me, okay? If we aren't united on this, I don't think it'll work._

That would _so _not be a problem. Tactics weren't really something that had ever been covered in her lessons, nevermind actual, physical combat. If Mara knew how to fight, she was the only one of them who did, and Anna wasn't suicidal enough to stop her.

_This is going to be very strange,_ Mara warned, then the world... **shifted**.

One minute, she'd been seeing a darkened forest, lit up by illusory moonlight created in her mind by Mara to give form to what the wraith's senses were taking in. The next, the landscape became darker - though, since it was night, it likely was actually _lighter _than her surroundings had actually been before - and harder to see the farther away something was. There was an ever-so-faint shimmering haze in the air, being constantly blown past by a wind that tingled against her skin.

Or rather, against _Mara's _skin.

Her surprise very nearly threw them out of synch. Here, in this bizarre shadow world, their usual state seemed to be reversed, with _her _being inside _Mara's _body. Rather than a dress, this ghostly version of Mara - her skin was even more pale than Elsa's, while her hair and eyes were so dark they seemed to swallow light - was clad in black leather armor with side lacing and buckles. Matching black body armour and attached shoulder plates provided additional protection - she had no idea what kind of metal they were made from, but she somehow _knew _it wasn't steel. The oddest thing about the clothing, to Anna, was that she was wearing pants, something she'd never seen Mara (or any woman, for that matter) do before. The boots were almost normal, by comparison. The outfit even had a matching set of vambraces.

Where had _this _come from? Anna didn't know much about combat herself, but she had read everything there was in the castle library, which included a fair amount of military history, as well as many a romance novel that frequently came with a knight in shining - or slightly tarnished - armor. Joan of Arc being one of her favorite historical figures (and, in some ways, a kind of role model) had inspired her to learn as much as she could about the woman. No one, in any of the books she'd read, had ever worn an outfit quite like this.

Mara lifted her hands, which Anna could feel distantly, but had no control over. If that sort of thing was what Mara put up with every day... Anna's respect for what she had to endure went up a bit. To her surprise, Mara conjured up a sword from precisely nowhere, the weapon appearing from a ghostly blue-white light. She had to wonder what the aufhocker was seeing. Could it see Mara? Or was it just seeing Anna, abruptly moving like she knew what she was doing?

Actually... How smart _was _this thing? It could apparently change into whatever it needed to - even human form - to 'fulfill whatever duty it sees fit.' Why was it taking orders from a minor demon who could only assume _one _alternate form?

_Presumably because it was either ordered to, or the demon implanted a suggestion to make it __**want**__ to, _Mara told her. _And yes, I believe it can see me. So we can't let it get away._

Given that it was jumping at them again, an expression of maddened rage on its face, it randomly deciding to leave didn't seem like a huge danger. Unfortunately.

Mara whirled gracefully out of the aufhocker's path, lashing out with a fist and catching it in the back of the head, making it stagger. It seemed like there was more of that odd ghostly light playing about its head after the blow, leaving it unable to shake off the stun. Mara didn't let up, striking at it in a flurry of sword swipes that culminated in driving her blade through its back, then pulling it out and whirling into a slash that drove the creature to the ground.

Had she been able to, Anna would have blinked in astonishment, then stared, disbelieving. And Mara claimed wraiths weren't very high up there on the ass-kicking scale of things?

_Thank you, but before you get too impressed, keep in mind I didn't even knock it out with that._

Sure enough, the aufhocker was hauling itself back to its feet, only seeming angrier. Knowing she had to keep on the offense, Mara stunned it again, then hit it with another flurry of rapidfire strikes with her sword. When it recovered, she flipped over its head, kicking it in the back of the skull, then slicing it up further. Then she did it again.

And again.

And again.

As she did, Anna was noticing something. Either the creature healed almost faster than it could be damaged, or the ghostly sword wasn't leaving physical injuries.

_Both, I think._

Well, **that** was less than helpful. How were they supposed to stop this thing?

_Remember when I said it can't be killed?_

Could it be knocked unconscious or something, then? Maybe they could restrain it after that, until they could figure out what to do with it?

Mara twisted to one side, then another, as she dodged swipes of the aufhocker's deadly claws. (Whether or not it could hurt **her**, a blow would almost certainly hurt **Anna**, which was not acceptable.) _I don't know, _she admitted. _I've never heard of that happening, but this is a somewhat... __**unique**__ situation._ She tagged it with another stunner blow, then pulled back, her sword glowing and shifting into a phantom bow. She reached over her shoulder and pulled an equally ghostly arrow from seemingly nowhere, notched it, and shot the aufhocker in the leg. The bow was shifting back into the more solid-looking sword even as the creature howled, its leg glowing with the same ethereal blueish-white as the arrow had been, and seemingly pinned in place. She managed to land another string of solid hits before the effect wore off, and it staggered backward.

There _had _to be a limit to how much punishment this thing could take, Anna thought. They would have overrun Europe by now, otherwise, fear of sunlight and church bells or not.

_Perhaps. Though, by that same token, there is also a limit to how much I can give it._

She didn't want to think about that.

_Neither do I, but not thinking about it won't make it stop being true. _She jumped over its head again, giving it a stun kick even as she did. It must have been a rather slow learner, given that it kept **letting **her do so.

Neither she nor Anna were about to complain.

What would happen, Anna wondered, if they hit it with a lightning blast?

_I have no idea. Perhaps you should try._

Perhaps... Wait, what?

The conversation was derailed when a backhanded blow from the aufhocker caught Mara in the side, knocking her into a tree... and momentarily knocking them out of synch, leaving **Anna** facing the slavering beast. "Ack!" she yelped as she dodged the follow-up blow, which she thought was fairly articulate given her circumstances. "Okay, the sword isn't working!" she decided, keeping the tree between her and the creature as best as she could. "Do you have anything else in your arsenal?"

_Um..._ It sounded almost like she was stalling, though Anna was pretty sure she was actually frantically searching through her bag of tricks for something - anything - else that might be suitable.

Then the aufhocker was run over by a reindeer.

Both of them stopped for a moment to stare at **that**. Mara felt justified in doing so; even by the quasi-immortal standards of the creatures of the night such as herself, that was an exceedingly unlikely occurrence. **She'd** certainly never seen such a thing happen before.

"Sven!" an unfamiliar man's voice shouted from nearby.

The reindeer - Sven, presumably - wheeled and stabbed the aufhocker with its antlers, then bounded away before it could retaliate. It seemed to forget about its previous target, launching itself after the reindeer, clearly intending to tear it apart.

And that, Anna decided, was not acceptable. "Hey!" she shouted at it. "You're not done with me, yet!"

_You know, I think a reindeer is probably fast enough to keep its distance for long enough to give us a chance to come up with an actual plan, at the very least, _Mara pointed out even as the aufhocker stopped and snarled at them.

"We can't just let that thing eat him!" Anna protested. If they'd gotten too far away while she and Mara were thinking...

_I know that, but-_

"Sven! This way!" There was that voice again. Closer, now. Someone was moving quickly through the underbrush, and Sven quickly altered course to intercept him. The aufhocker roared again-

Which was promptly cut off as Mara's sword slashed at its throat.

They danced quickly away from the retaliatory strike. It almost seemed larger, somehow, in the wraith world, as if they were seeing its true self. Its spirit, perhaps.

Mara, catching that thought, hesitated, then let her sword discorporate... and summoned forth a different one.

Very, **very **different.

The sword she'd been using until now had been, as best Anna could tell, an _Espée Bastarde _or "bastard sword," specifically a cavalry sabre (though she hadn't recognized the design of the pommel). This new one, however...

It could have been a rapier. Assuming rapiers emitted a steady, silver-white light from their blades. Or throbbed with a steady, deep strength, as quiet and unshakable as the earth itself. Or produced a constant, steady chiming sound in the air.

The aufhocker had stopped dead in its tracks, and was now staring at the sword with something that might have been shock. Unfortunately, that quickly gave way to something _else_, which looked suspiciously like hatred. "Uh, Mara...?"

_Not now, Anna._

It charged.

Mara spun out of the way, ducked under its swipe, and slashed at it again. Unlike her previous hits, however, this one produced a new result: a high-pitched scream full of **pain**.

Anna's metaphorical eyebrows shot up. Why hadn't they used this thing in the first place?

_Seriously. Later._

Mara's combat style altered subtly, almost instantly adapting to the difference in the style of the new sword. More thrusts, fewer hacking slashes, spinning about the battlefield like it was a dance floor. If only the Duke of Weasel Town could see them now, Anna mused.

_He would likely either have a heart attack or condemn you for sorcery,_ Mara told her.

That was true, she conceded. Still, she had to wonder what he was doing, just then, if he was still keeping an eye on Hans, despite... Well, everything.

_If he is, let's hope Hans and his 'friend' don't notice._

Anna winced at that. There hadn't been anyone else for her to turn to, and she still didn't like him very much, but that didn't mean she wanted anything to happen to the old man. Especially because of something **she'd** gotten him involved in.

_He's a grown man, Anna. He can make his own decisions. Given how easily we tumbled across what Hans is doing, he might well have noticed all on his own, given time. And you told him quite clearly how dangerous the situation was. If he does something foolish, it will be __**his**__ choice to do so. Now, please focus on __**our**__ problem. We can't let the creature get away._

Get away? Anna (mentally) blinked, refocused on the outside world, and found to her surprise that they seemed to be winning.

Sort of.

Unlike her first conjured sword, this one was leaving actual, lasting injuries on the aufhocker. Nothing fatal, or even that slowed it down by any appreciable degree, but it was clearly becoming wary of them. Of the blade. It was prowling around them, growling and snarling, but not coming any closer. It even tried dodging Mara's next attack. Really, that seemed like a good thing, to her...

_We __**can't **__let it get away! _Mara repeated adamantly.

...but apparently, they couldn't let it get away. Or kill it. Or knock it unconscious. Which meant they were just going to have to do one of those anyway, regardless of how impossible it was. Well, nothing worth doing was easy, right?

_This hasn't exactly been easy up until now, you know._ Despite her words, though, Anna could sense Mara's determination, renewed by her words and (possibly foolish) optimism. She - **they** \- held the glowing sword before them, blazing eyes locked on the aufhocker.

Astonishingly, its nerve broke first, and it whirled, charging off into the forest, in search of easier prey. It would likely need blood and flesh to heal itself, Mara felt, before reporting its failure... and what it had found. Almost certainly, it would now be after the valiant reindeer that had come to their - well, **Anna's **\- aid, as well as the young man that had been calling for him.

They couldn't let that happen, Anna decided, and if Mara was perhaps somewhat more reluctant to place their lives at risk to help complete strangers, that hardly meant she _wanted _anything to happen to them. And the creature **could not** be permitted to escape.

United in purpose, they raced off in pursuit. Had anyone been present to observe this, our imaginary observer would have seen an odd melding of forms, the young princess of Arendelle sprinting through the woods, a radiant sword in her hand, with ghostly features belonging to someone else entirely flickering over her body.

They moved with inhuman quickness, intercepting the aufhocker in a clearing. They had a brief glimpse of the reindeer and someone who might have had blonde hair, then there was only the creature. They were a whirling dervish of violence, stabbing and slashing and dodging, always moving, refusing to allow it to get away and attack anyone else. It **had** to die, there and then, before anyone else was hurt. Before it could tell anyone about Mara.

Or what she had.

But it had been a long fight already, and Anna, unaccustomed to such things, was getting tired. She couldn't let Mara do this by herself - if only because she didn't think Mara **could** do it by herself; interacting with the physical world was so difficult for her, even something as comparatively easy as slamming Elsa into a mirror had all but exhausted her - but they couldn't keep this pace up forever. Eventually, they'd slip up, the aufhocker would get away, and someone **would** die.

Unacceptable.

Completely **unacceptable**.

It wasn't a conscious decision, not really. Certainly, they both remembered Anna's previous suggestion about hitting it with a lightning bolt, but with their combined consciousnesses focused entirely on the aufhocker and the fight, there wasn't any specific, coherent thought about it. What happened next was pure instinct, subconscious knowledge bypassing the conscious mind and acting.

Mara stunned it, making it stagger back a step or two.

Anna raised a hand, palm out.

A bolt of blinding light - oddly emerald in color - leapt from it to slam into the aufhocker, faster than thought. A punishingly deafening crack of thunder split the air, the shockwave sending Anna flying several feet backward to crash painfully to the ground.

She lost a minute or so, trying to pull herself back together. Even with all the accidents an active child such as herself had had over the years, she'd _never _gotten her bells rung like **that** before. She managed to sit up, but even the thought of standing made her head spin. Or possibly that was from a concussion. Or both. Her ears were ringing so badly a marching band could have been wandering past, and she never would have known.

Okay, she decided. Next time, they would get **farther away** before doing something like that again.

_To say the least, _Mara said, sounding almost as out of it as Anna felt.

A few of the younger, frailer trees had actually been knocked down, and while Anna's vision was swimming a bit, she couldn't see what had happened to Sven or... whatever his name was. Hopefully, they'd gotten clear while she and Mara had kept the aufhocker busy.

The aufhocker that was laying on the ground, utterly motionless, singed and smoking and, from what Mara could tell, lifeless.

"Well, how about that?" Anna said, dazed. Or she thought she did, anyway; her lips moved, her throat was vibrating like it did when she spoke, but she couldn't hear it. That would go away soon, she hoped - Mara's presence meant she tended to heal faster than anyone else she knew (something **else** she'd discovered due to her restless nature, growing up) - but still... She'd also been able to see the painfully bright light even through her closed eyelids. Given the exceedingly intense flash and bang, she realized with a slight burst of depression that they'd just declared their position to **everyone** looking for them, and she doubted she'd be ready for another fight anytime soon.

_True, _Mara agreed. _Though I have to admit, your suggestion on how to deal with it proved much more effective than I'd have dared dream. Certainly more so than anything I managed to do to it._ The glowing sword was gone, likely having vanished the moment the shockwave had knocked them out of synch. _You're the first person I know of to have managed to kill an aufhocker - and with only one strike, no less._

She was pretty sure that wouldn't have worked without Mara's strenuous efforts in fighting it beforehand...

_Perhaps, perhaps not. Ultimately, I suppose it doesn't matter, does it?_

...but that was the second time Mara had referred to the lightning bolts like she'd had nothing to do with them.

_Anna..._ Mara was speaking slowly, as if confused. _The power of the storm is not mine to command. It never has been._


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen _and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

**Summary: **Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

**Author's Note: **It LIIIIIIIVES! ;)

* * *

"...what?"

The backlash from the lightning blast must have hit her harder than she'd thought, Anna decided. Mara wasn't making **any **sense at all.

_A wraith can do a lot of things, Anna, _Mara told her, _but controlling the weather is not one of them._

"Well, I can't do that, either," Anna pointed out. Mara was silent. "I... can't do that," she said again, less confidently.

_Perhaps you __**couldn't**__ do so. That would seem to have changed._ She paused. _You truly didn't know? I had thought you were merely in denial, and didn't want to say anything in front of your sister._

"No!" Anna stood up, wavering on her feet until she found her balance. "Of course I didn't... I mean, I've never been able to do that before, and nothing's changed, so... I don't understand what you're talking about. How...?" It didn't make any sense. Elsa was the one with the powers, not her. She'd been fine with that - she'd seen up close exactly how badly they'd screwed up her sister's life.

_This is not a situation I've ever encountered, before, _Mara told her. _I have guesses. Ideas. Theories. We can talk about it later._

"No, we can talk about it now," Anna countered. Why put it off? Yeah, they needed to get moving, but she could easily walk and talk.

_Anna, we're not alone._

"What?" She felt Mara directing her attention behind her, and (carefully) turned to see that, sure enough, they had company: a tall, blonde man she vaguely thought she'd seen in town that morning (for all of two seconds, and she hadn't really paid him any specific attention). He had on a blue shirt with a darker blue vest, brown pants, and boots. And, much to her relief, there was the reindeer - Sven, she presumed - standing next to him, looking none the worse for wear. "Oh! Was that you before? I'm glad you're alright."

The ringing in her ears was slowly diminishing, but it was still leaving his voice muted and all but unintelligible. "Yeah, I'm... I'm not getting any of that," she said, probably speaking a bit too loudly. "There was this really _loud _boom, and... Yeah. But, um, can you thank your friend, for me? That was very brave of him. You _did _call him Sven, right?" It was always possible that had been someone else talking, before, or that it had been directed at someone who wasn't a reindeer. Or both.

The blonde man nodded slowly, clearly understanding that she wasn't exactly operating at her best just then. He came closer - and goodness, he _was _tall, wasn't he? - but Sven started getting nervous about halfway, and the man stopped, instantly wary. Well, it was good to see that he trusted his friend's instincts so completely, Anna supposed. That would only help to keep him alive out here in the wilderness.

_True, _Mara agreed. _Particularly with supernatural predators about. Unfortunately, it doesn't do __**us **__much good._

There was that. Though, really, the fewer people they dragged into trouble with them, the better, as far as she was concerned.

_Granted. I'm still a bit... disoriented, after the fight, though. Perhaps he can at least offer you directions to the shop we were heading for?_

That sounded like a plan to her. She hadn't missed Mara's unspoken reminder to try and act like she was out there by herself, either. "I'm a bit... turned around, from all the fighting and chasing and such." She gestured vaguely toward the aufhocker. She hadn't really been thinking to use the fact that she'd been the big, scary, evil monster's target - and had killed it before it could hurt anyone else, like his reindeer friend - to improve his opinion of her, since that sort of manipulative thinking was simply alien to her. Mara hadn't been about to suggest it, either, but she did at least recognize that it emphasized the potential benefits of their actions, and approved. Anna decided not to think about that, just then. "I was trying to get to a shop nearby. Do you know where it is? I... kind of need to replace my wardrobe." Which wasn't just an excuse, she realized sadly. All the running and fighting and being knocked around had left her lovely dress filthy and torn. She wasn't sure that even the royal seamstress could fix it. She also needed more appropriate footwear, really. How her shoes - chosen for how well they went with her dress and that they didn't make her feet hurt when worn for lengthy periods of time, not for hiking or fighting - had stayed on during everything that had happened since she'd left the castle, she had no idea. She didn't mention her need of other supplies, though. Mara didn't want her to give _too _much away, such as where they might be going or how long they might be there.

She'd also found that Mara didn't like strangers around, especially during stressful situations. At least now she had a slightly better idea why.

The man nodded again, looked off to the side, then hesitated, likely trying to figure out how to convey directions to someone who couldn't hear a word he was saying without anything to write them on. He turned back to Anna and mouthed, 'Come with me,' making a beckoning gesture before heading off in another direction with Sven.

Actually, he'd probably said it aloud, she realized, she just hadn't heard him. She wasn't sure why he was going in a _different _direction than he'd been looking before (she presumed the shop was that way, at least), but, with no better ideas, she followed him. Her first few steps were a little wobbly, but she regained her balance quickly enough, jogging until she'd caught up with him, though being careful to keep her distance from Sven, so as not to agitate him unduly. She wished she could just explain, so they'd both _know _there was nothing to be afraid of.

_Unless they've heard of me,_ Mara told her. _In which case you'd just be doing the exact opposite._

They'd adore her if they got to know her, Anna was certain.

_I can't manifest visibly - or audibly, for that matter - for even the length of a casual conversation. Not on my own._

Then, she could with help? That was interesting, and something she was going to have to make sure to come back to later. Who knew? Maybe there was something among the occult books in Elsa's study (that her sister didn't seem to think she'd ever noticed) that might be of some help with that. Assuming she was allowed back in the castle after all this was over.

_I'm sure you will be, _Mara said reassuringly. _Provided we live through this, of course._

Well, they'd evidently finally found something Mara _didn't _know how to do well: motivational speaking.

* * *

Even if she hadn't been looking for any signs of her sister, the massive green flash of light and thunderous explosion of sound from within the forest surrounding the North Mountain would have immediately attracted Elsa's attention. Unfortunately, the fact that it _had _been so visible meant that everyone and everything else looking for Anna (and/or Mara) would have seen it, too, and the two of them would have known it. If they'd risked doing something so obvious anyway... "Something else has already found them," she realized, urging her horse to go faster.

"It seems likely," Carlos agreed. As much as Elsa hadn't really wanted to bring him along, she had to admit (though only to herself) that she was somewhat glad he was there, if they were going to be riding into trouble. She hadn't wanted to bring any of her guards, not knowing if any of them had also been affected by the demon. As much as she'd chafed at any delay, she had made herself wait to depart after her sister until she'd seen for herself that the amulet Carlos had given the Prime Minister had freed his mind from its control. As quickly as she'd been able to, she'd explained the situation to him and let him know the Bishop would be continuing the task of helping those they knew to have been influenced. (The Captain of the Guard had been the first one he'd intended to help, so that he'd have assistance in dealing with the others.) Once she was sure he'd be able to handle matters inside the castle (as well as assigning guards, once they were confirmed to be uninfluenced, to keep watch over Prince Hans; she _had _already issued that order, but once she had a better idea of what they were dealing with, she'd had them recalled before any potential spies could give them away), she'd left him in charge while she'd gone after Anna.

She hadn't explained much of anything where Anna's departure was concerned, and loyal subject that he was, he hadn't asked.

Carlos had supplied his own horse, retrieved from a stable in town, a large black stallion that had more than been able to catch up with the swiftest steed the castle's stablemaster had been able to provide. (Despite her words to Gerda, she didn't ride often enough to require a horse of her own, and that was one of the few activities Anna had never even suggested they try. Anna had never said as much, but based on what she'd read, Elsa suspected that the horses got spooked when Mara was around.) "How did you get into the castle?" she asked abruptly, as much to try and distract herself from worrying that her sister might be in danger right that second (and potentially losing control of her magic in the process) as because she genuinely wanted to know. "If have a hole in our security, I need to know what it is."

"I wouldn't have been able to get inside so easily on any other day," he assured her. "The open gates, combined with the sheer number of guests, meant that anyone could get in to get a look at the new Queen - by design, I suspect."

True enough, she reflected ruefully. While she wouldn't be reinstituting her father's open gate policy long term anytime soon, she'd known that on this one day, she hadn't really had much choice. Inviting the citizenry to meet the new monarch was a tradition that stretched all the way back to the founding of Arendelle. She couldn't have avoided doing so - particularly with all the foreign dignitaries - without raising some _major _red flags. "Even so, I would prefer not to make a habit out of this sort of thing."

"We can discuss some unobtrusive methods of keeping out hostile beings that your guards might not be able to detect after this matter is resolved, Your Majesty."

"If anything happens to my sister, I doubt I'll be terribly receptive to your presence _anywhere _in my country," she warned.

"I understand," he replied, though she doubted he truly did. Given everything she and Anna had gone through, no one really could. "I don't have any siblings myself, but there are those in the Order who do. I know how much they can mean."

That wasn't quite the same at all, but she didn't say so. There was something in his tone that she recognized. "What happened?"

They rode in silence for a long moment, and she worried that her question might have been too oblique. That wasn't it, though. "My parents died when I was young," he finally replied. "I was raised by the head of the local branch of the Order."

Admittedly, there hadn't been any way she could have known that, but she still felt bad for asking and potentially poking at old wounds. "My apologies, _Señor _Araya."

He waved off her concern. "You could hardly have known," he said, unknowingly echoing her thoughts. "They gave their lives in the service of saving others." His grammar was a bit stilted, perhaps, not seeming to translate from Spanish to Norse very well, but she understood what he meant. "All I can do is try to live up to the example they set for me."

"Preferably while remaining _alive_?"

He chuckled once. "Quite." His demeanor grew more serious. "Because of that, I grew up knowing exactly how dangerous and unforgiving this world can be, and how easy it can be to lose the ones you love to the forces of darkness... to say nothing of how much that hurts. So you have my word that I will do everything in my power to bring your sister back to you, Your Majesty."

The strangest thing? Not only did she believe him - which was unusual by itself, given how wary of strangers her childhood had left her - but she actually felt better. Calmer. "Thank you, _Señor _Araya."

He shook his head. "Thank me once she's safe and sound," he disagreed. Changing the subject, he asked, "Do you have any idea where she might be heading? It would seem evident she's seeking to draw any hostile attention away from you and the rest of Arendelle, but I find it hard to believe she would flee toward the mountains without a definite destination in mind."

"You don't know my sister," Elsa told him, shaking her head sadly. "That is _absolutely _something she would do. From what little I know of her, though, _Mara _would insist on an actual plan, to say nothing of remembering to procure supplies. Back when she first made her presence known, before anyone knew what she really was, my father liked to joke that she was Anna's long-dormant sense of self-preservation, finally given voice, and... even now, I can't quite disagree. Whatever her reasons for it, Anna's well-being - physical and emotional - seems to be her top priority. Honestly, if she wasn't lurking _inside _her and wasn't so violent in her protectiveness, I'd have much less of a problem with her." With a rueful smile, she added, "I can hardly throw stones when it comes to the supernatural, after all."

"A wraith that _doesn't _serve the forces of evil would be something no one in the Order has _ever _encountered," Carlos told her, voice carefully neutral.

"Tell me something. If a wraith _did _turn against its former masters, what would happen to it?" she asked. She was pretty sure they both knew the answer, and it would help explain why Mara had done everything she could to drop off the face of the Earth as far as whatever evil Hans was working for knew.

"True enough," he admitted. "Though I should think they, or anyone they might have befriended, would have left some kind of record in at least _one _instance. And there would have to be _some _kind of catalyst, as this Mara claims your sister was for her."

"Maybe we can ask her about it when we catch up to them." Which was easier said than done. They'd been heading more or less in a straight line toward where they'd seen the light, but once they entered the forest proper, they were forced to slow down, and it became harder to tell _exactly _where the light had been. Regular means of tracking Anna through the forest would be impossible unless they randomly came across the spot where she'd touched down after her literal flight from the castle, and while it was possible they might find part of her trail if there _had _been some kind of fight, that basically amounted to just hoping they got lucky... and Elsa didn't know about Carlos, but her luck typically didn't run on the good side. Her earlier remark about throwing stones had sparked a thought, however. First, though, she and Carlos needed to get something straight. "So, _Señor _Araya," she began. "You claim your organization hunts down the monsters, creatures, and demons that pray upon the innocent, yes?"

"We do," he replied evenly, not seeming at all offended by her open skepticism. She somewhat envied that kind of confidence, truthfully.

"Setting aside the question of Mara, you do realize there are other beings, other powers out there that are _not _aligned with the forces of evil, do you not?"

"In a world that includes helpful witches and good fairies, it would be impossible not to." He drew his horse to a halt, forcing her to do the same. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there is one place Anna _might _go, if she felt she had no choice but to ask _someone _for help. She's never been there while conscious, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mara knew how to find them."

"Find _whom_, precisely?"

She stared at him for a long moment. "You need to understand something," she finally replied. "If I tell you this, if I bring you there, you will _not _raise a hand against them, and if you believe your Order would, due to false stories or their not being human, you would not tell them what you've seen. If you can't promise me that, then you will not be permitted to accompany me." Her eyes hardened. "And if you attempt to do so anyway, you will be locked up in the castle dungeon for the rest of your life - however short that may be." She hated saying things like that - hated that she needed to - but she was not about to expose her allies, the ones to whom she owed her beloved sister's life, to a danger like the Order of Saint George could potentially pose.

Carlos may not have known her reasons, or what she was thinking, but he clearly did understand that she was entirely serious. "As I've told you, Your Majesty, we stand between humanity and the forces of darkness. If the ones of whom you speak are not included among their number, they have nothing to fear from us," he told her, gravely serious. He paused a moment, then, eyes twinkling ever-so-slightly, added, "Frankly, given the sheer number of beings serving the darkness already, we're hardly inclined to go around starting _new _fights. We're stretched thin enough as it is. That's why I'm here alone." And had ridden off into the forest with someone that he _knew _had magic powers of unspecified strength. Yes, he was likely heavily armed and well trained, but she could easily have gotten the drop on him a number of times, already, and was potentially about to lead him into a situation where he'd be vastly outnumbered and outgunned. Yet, he was willing to follow her. To _trust _her.

She supposed she could do no less than return the favor. "Good." She paused to get her bearings, then prodded her horse into motion in a new direction. "Have you ever heard of the stone trolls of Arendelle?"

* * *

As it turned out, her as-yet unidentified new friend had been leading her toward a sled. A sled that had a few blocks of ice on it. Anna presumed that meant he was an ice harvester, which explained a few things, she supposed, but unfortunately also reminded her of her sister, and how she'd left things, which she'd really been trying _not _to think about.

Sven hadn't seemed happy having her on board (or having Mara around, rather, but they were occupying the same physical space, so the distinction hardly mattered), but hadn't put up any real fight. Anna was glad. She didn't like the thought of making her rescuer uncomfortable, but until her hearing had recovered enough to be able to hold a conversation, she could hardly explain things to either of them. It would really be best for all concerned if they just brought her to the shop and went on their way.

They were, at least, making better time than she had been on foot. She was also glad for the chance to sit down, as she was still tired and sore from the fight. Zipping along through the forest at speed was kind of fun, too. Any other time, she'd have been immensely enjoying herself. (She also would have introduced herself, and gotten the ice harvester's name in return. Her parents _had _warned her against strangers, true, but between Mara's protective nature and her own theoretical weather controlling abilities, she wasn't really worried, there.)

By the time there was a light in the distance that she presumed to be the shop they were heading for, the ringing in her ears had diminished further, to the point where she could hear the runners sliding across the dirt and the clops of Sven's hoofbeats. She cleared her throat experimentally, pleased when she heard _something_. It still wasn't clear, but it was better than nothing. She caught what's-his-name start just a bit in surprise, realizing he'd evidently been lost in his own thoughts, as well. "My name's Anna, by the way." She was still speaking too loudly, she knew, but at least she could make out most of what she'd said.

When he introduced himself in turn, she realized her hearing hadn't recovered _that _much. What had he said his name was? "Christopher?" she guessed, though the face he made in response told her she hadn't gotten it right. Oh, well. She'd smacked her head pretty good when she'd been knocked down, so she was sure her brain had gotten rattled around. Maybe it just wasn't up to interpreting words unless she already knew them? "Look, um, Chris," she began, because even when he'd repeated his name, slower and more clearly, she was still hearing Christopher, and figured Chris was close enough to whatever his real name was that he wouldn't get _too _upset about it. "I wanted to thank you for this. I know you don't have any real reason to help me, or really even trust me, and you could have just pointed me in the right direction and gone on your way, so I _do _appreciate the help."

He stared at her for a long moment, either trying to wrap his mind around what she'd said, or trying to figure out how to phrase his reply so that she'd be able to understand it. The only man she'd had stare at her for any length of time recently (the old Duke from Weselton notwithstanding) had been Hans, and this was very different. Hans had left her flustered and stumbling for words, while Christopher was regarding her like she was a puzzle he wasn't sure that he wanted to solve. Oddly enough, she thought she liked that better, if only because it was entirely honest.

"I'll admit, I'm honestly not sure what to make of you." He spoke slowly and clearly, and even with her distorted hearing she could detect the caution in his voice. "You're spooking Sven, and he does _not _spook easily. On the other hand, you did kill that... whatever it was, before it could hurt him or anyone else. And I'd love to know how you did that."

"Me, too," she admitted. Simple honesty seemed like the way to go with this man, and she hadn't really wanted to lie to anyone in any event. "That isn't something I've ever done before. I can only guess... magic. But I don't know how." And Mara, knowing her tendency to speak to her aloud when they were talking, hadn't offered any of her own guesses or theories.

"...I may know some people who can help."

She looked at him in surprise. "You do?"

Mara sighed. _You realize that, around here, there's only one group he __**could**__ be talking about, right?_

Wha...? Oh. Apparently, they might just be paying the trolls a visit, after all.

"Yeah," he said, unaware of the silent conversation going on next to him. "We'll talk about that after we're done shopping." He drew the sled to a halt, and she realized _she _hadn't noticed that they'd arrived at the shop, which a sign helpfully identified as 'Wandering Oaken's Trading Post (and Sauna)'. She wasn't quite sure what a sauna was, but suspected she didn't need one just then. That it was a trading post, however, reassured her that she would be able to get what she needed. She hadn't exactly stopped by her room to grab any money before leaving the castle, after all, but she knew the necklace she was wearing was worth quite a bit. (Her dress was a bit too damaged to be resold, but the fabric alone might fetch her a fair price, especially if she threw in her shoes. "Because I won't be taking you one more foot until you explain what it is about you that Sven doesn't like."

"I suppose that's fair," she admitted, carefully climbing out of the sled. It turned out he was actually selling the last few ice blocks to the shop's owner - presumably the Oaken that the sign mentioned - so he'd been heading this way anyway. That actually made her feel a bit better, as she hadn't wanted to disrupt his livelihood just because she had trouble planning things out in advance. She had to admit, he was a decent enough traveling companion.

She could only hope he'd still speak to her once she'd told him what he wanted to know.


End file.
